PRESTON PAPERS 



BY 



MISS PRESTON'S ASSISTANT. 



1>> 




PUBLISHER : 

WILLIAM H. BRIGGS, 

Treas. Lawyer's Co-operative Publishing Co. 

Rochester, N. Y. 



LB/037 
.YHS 



Copyrighted 1890, 
By William H. Briggs. 



E. R. ANDREWS, PRINTER, 
ROCHESTER, N. Y. 



DEDICATION. 

To my dear old pupils, who for so many years have 
walked hand in hand with me, and especially to such of 
them as are now engaged in teaching or in preparing them- 
selves for this delightful work, this little volume is most 

affectionately dedicated, by 

The Author. 



PREFATORY. 

Pausing at the threshold of perpetuating in covers these 
" Preston Papers," the author desires to say that Miss 
Preston is no ideal teacher, but one well known to both 
publishers and author, as a bona fide teacher who still lives, 
works, and enjoys her work, with a zest unknown to 
mere " machine " teachers. The experiences are real and 
possibly not unusual, and are offered to the pedagogical 
fraternity with the hope that they may be suggestive of a 
" Beyond " in the work. 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



CONTENTS. 



No. i. — Government. 

Asking advice — Miss Preston — Her notions — Rudeness 
— Legitimate noise — Machine Work — Monitors — Self Re- 
spect — Injury to — A simile — Management during teacher's 
absence — Order — How secured — Its object — Queries. 



No. 2. — Reports. ------- 

Teachers' meeting in Old town — Obligation to be present — 
Reports outlined — The routine — Variations — Miss Preston's 
first attendance — She gives no report — Her reason — My 
own report — Tricks in trade — Miss Preston's absence from 
October meeting — Her note — Its effect — Asked to preside 
at next session — Takes her school to the woods — Lessons 
learned by the way — Compositions elicited therefrom — Her 
address to the meeting — What the meeting should develop — 
Her conduct of it — Enthusiasm. 



No. 3. — Punishment. ------ 14 

The "class meeting" method — Mr. Whipple's doubt as to 
the right to use the rod — Miss Wood's fear of personal con- 
sequences — Her lack of "presence" — Mr. Smith's declara- 
tion — Outwitted by his botany class — Politics in education — 
Miss Sigourney — Tyranny — Responsibility for rebellion — 
Brutalizing effects of corporal punishment — Character ex- 
pressed in physique — Ridicule and sarcasm — Miss Preston's 
speech — Corporal punishment may be preferred to mental. 



v [ CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

No. 4. — Punishment. (Continued). - - -19 

Troublesome children — Spoiled and neglected— How to 
manage — Upon what punishment should depend — Some 
things in pupils for which teachers are blamable — Govern- 
ment of bad children — Negative and positive — Corporal — 
How to be administered — J. G. Holland's story of a bad boy. 

No. 5. — The Museum. ------ 23 

As a help — Miss Preston's choice of aid — Indifference of 
her associates — The closet transformed — Nicknames — The 
Museum opened to the school — Contributions — Effects noted 

— Total depravity — Miss Wood's remonstrance — The reply 

— Salary — Details. 

No. 6. — Responsibility. ------ 29 

Schoolrooms — How to be kept — Demand for curtains, 
thermometer, and waste paper basket — Reasons — Cleanli- 
ness — Habits — Apparent indifference of teachers explained 

— A teacher's duties — Where end — Other people — A newly 
furnished schoolroom — Plants and pictures. 

No. 7. — Geography. - - - - - - 34 

Taught in all grades — Too much time spent upon it — 
Made too important — To be taught incidentally — Too much 
"book" work — Visit to a summer school — Parrot-like reci- 
tations — Confusion of ideas — Miss Preston's plan — " Want 
of time" plea— Queries suggested. 

No. 8. — Teachers' Examinations. - - - - 4o 

How they were formerly conducted in Oldtown — Miss 
Preston investigates — Her dissatisfaction — Defects pointed 
out — The best method suggested — Separate examinations for 
teachers of different grades — Fitness considered. 



CONTENTS. vii 

PAGE. 

No. 9. — Prize Giving. ------ 45 

As a stimulus — Objections — As being "less trouble" — 
Shirking responsibilities — Comparisons — Results of prize 
winning — Examples — Love not gained by this means — 
"Right for Right's sake "— Instead of prizes, what? — Dis- 
tinctions made — A Christmas plan — How it worked — Asso- 
ciation with pupils. 

No. 10. — Number. - - - - - - "5 1 

The first object — Pestalozzi's laws — Specific steps — 
Counting — Teaching relative worth of numbers — The fun- 
damental processes taught together — Caution — Study in- 
volved in thorough teaching — Results. 

No. 11. — Primary Arithmetic. - - - - 5 6 
My trouble — Miss Preston's help — Her dialogue with 
Henry — Subtraction — Illustration — Catching the fire — 
Compound numbers — Enthusiasm — Order — Counting back- 
ward — Devices. 

No. 12.— Compositions. ------ 61 

Dread of the work — Mr. Lowell's method — Miss Wood's 
Miss Well's — Plagiarism — Too much formality in compo- 
sition writing — Occasion leads up to method — Suggestions — 
Current events and topics fruitful themes — Finishing up the 
work. 

No. 13. — Management. - - - . - - -66 

Promotion of educational interests — Causes of success — 

Discipline — Dignity — Rules enforced — Cooperation — An 

experience — A school reception proposed — Laughed at — 

Complaint — Invitations — A success — Meeting the parents 

Trustees — Calls among pupils — Success compensatory and 

commensurate. 



viii CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

No. 14. — Environment. - - - - - - 71 

A teacher's opportunities — Our school yard — Its former 
appearance — Saving lunch ' ' scraps " — Use — Clearing up the 
yard — The vase — Filling it — The rockery — Geranium bank 

— Croquet asked for — Received — Miss Preston's promotion. 

No. 15. — Health. - - -' - - -75 

An unusual topic — The educational "world does move" — 
Time — How to be measured — Soliloquy — Why make the 
most of our physical nature — To promote our own interests 

— As a self duty — Carlyle's law of culture — Mr. Wheeler's 
motive — Miss Wood considers it economical to keep well — So 
do I — Miss Smith declares her independence by her good 
health — The prime "why" — Teachers specially responsible 

— Time lost by sickness. 

No. 16. — Health. (Continued). - - . - - 81 

Breathing — Ignorance as to how — Wrong breathing — Eat- 
ing — Too much — Too often — Wrong things — Miss Miller's 
inquiry — Eating between meals — Rest — What is — Danger 
in * ' too much " of anything — Tonics and narcotics — Dress 

— Good nature a help — Hints formulated. 

No. 17. — Grammar. ------ 86 

The trouble begun — A peculiar man — Visits Miss Pres- 
ton's school — Favorable impressions — Wishes to send his 
daughter — His home methods — Objections to the public 
school system — 'Cast iron rules — Katharine comes to our 
school — Asks a question in grammar — Referred to the text 
book — A note from the Colonel — What it would have elicited 
formerly — Reasoning — My reply to the note — Appeal to the 
Board of Education — Arguments — The moral side of gram- 
mar — Objections to discussion — Miss Bates infatuated by the 
method of her childhood — Miss Ingersoll's criticism — Mr. 



CONTENTS. ix 

PAGE. 

Lowell's dread of the subject — Miss Wood's experience — 
Undoing — " The course" — A " Balm in Gilead." 

No. 18. — Grammar. (Continued.) - - - - 93 
Teaching by practice — A new way — Process — Text books 

— How used — Time and dread saved in this way — Illustra- 
tion of Miss Preston's method. 

No. 19. — Whispering. . - - - - - - 98 

A great evil — Contrary opinions — Restrictions — Fair play 

— Provisions and reasons for whispering — Obedience — Con- 
secutive thinking — Principles developing fair thought on the 
subject — Regulations. 

No. 20. — Manners. ------- 103 

A bow — Politeness among pupils — Rudeness — Miss Pres- 
ton's explanation — Lack of mutual understanding — Civility 

— Teaching it in school — Necessity for — Where to begin — 
Selfishness the basis of rudeness — Tact, an element of cour- 
tesy — The Golden Rule a guide — Specific lessons needed 
in deportment — Instances — Courtesy as capital — Force of 
example. 

No. 21. — Dress. ------- 109 

Inattention to the matter — A contrast — Early impressions 

— Professor Lowell's experience — A pink dress — Its influ- 
ence — Commercial value of tasteful attire — What to wear — 
The silent influence. 

No. 22. — Penmanship. - - - ■ - - 114 

Agitation of the subject — Mothers in council — Criticisms 

— Rapidity — How, generally — How and when to begin — 
Tools used — Variations. 



x CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

No. 23. — Penmanship. (Continued.) - - - 118 

Copy — Talks with pupils — Steps — Classification — Books 

— Work — Advanced classes — Scribbling — All may learn to 
write well. 

No. 24. — Overwork. - - - - - - 122 

Teachers and pupils overtasked — Too long hours — Bad 
results— A lazy teacher — Too much attempted — The cur- 
riculum — Mistakes — Our responsibility — A student's life — 
Suggestions — Overwork out of school. 

No. 25. — Spelling. - - - - - - - 128 

A spelling school — How managed — Teacher spells against 
pupils — Written work — Review — Lesson routine — Ambigu 
ous penmanship — Accuracy — Spelling taught with other les- 
sons — Other ways. 

No. 26. — Reading. ------- 132 

Neglected — Poor reading prevalent — Teachers to be mod- 
els — Drawling — Reading backwards — Sight reading — 
Rapid — Concert — Outside supplies — Interest — Word hunt- 
ing — Dropping out words— Trial reading — Practice needed 

— Silent reading — Expression — Modern reading books — 
Where some bad habits begin. 

No. 27. — Hobbies. - 138 

System — Dignity — Getting down to the child's level — 
Doing too much — Discipline — Good and bad — Shams — 
Appearances — Laziness — Order — Selfishness — Independ- 
ence — Practicality — Beauty — Custom — Change — Loss of 
individuality — Lecturing — Proneness of the pedagogue to 
speak — Menace — W.akness of threats — Substitutes — Sug- 
gestions. 



PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. I. 

GOVERNMENT. 



Oldtown, N. Y., February 25, 188-. 
Mr. , State. Supt. 

My Dear Sir : — State Superintendents are supposed to 
be a sort of walking storehouse of knowledge, aren't they ? 
Presuming your answer will be an unqualified "Yes," I will 
proceed to state the cause of my bewilderment. It may be 
that you or some of your associates can give me light from 
your lamp without diminishing your own benefit from it. 
Do not laugh at me for not being able to solve my problems 
alone. 

To be brief, I am engaged as second assistant in Public 
School No. 4, where I have served for twenty-one years ; so 
I think I know some things about its requirements quite as 
well as the lady principal does who has only been here since 
September, and is very young, and can have had but little 
experience compared to mine. And here my puzzle begins. 

Our schools are all under the supervision of a superin- 
tendent who has held the position a great many years, and 
they have borne the reputation of being model schools, with 



2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

perfect order and discipline, but since Miss Preston came 
( There ! I have actually told you her name, although I did 
not mean to) we have been candidly informed by her that 
we were " stultifying the children, and making mere puppets 
of them ! " Just think of it ! And she has such peculiar 
ideas, too, and she carries them out in spite of Mr. Johnson 
— our city superintendent — who really opposed her methods 
at first, although I must acknowledge that he rather recom- 
mends them now. For instance : she had not been installed 
but a few days before he said to her : 

" Miss Preston, your school is too noisy " 

" Did I understand you to say it is too noisy ? " with a 
quiet but forceful emphasis on the last two words. 

" Yes. Oh, I don't mean in the schoolroom They seem 
to be quiet enough here ; but at their play before school and 
during recess." 

"Well, so long as they are quiet and orderly in the house, 
it seems to me perfectly proper for them to use their lungs 
for safety valves, through which to get rid of their super- 
fluous steam, while out of doors — provided that they keep 
good natured and use no bad words." 

" This is a quiet little city and the people will complain if 
the school children are rude and noisy." 

"Rudeness I do not tolerate," said she, "but legitimate 
noise is another and a very different thing. If entirely shut 
up there is always danger of an explosion; so I prefer to 
encourage them to dispose of their excessive vitality in that 
way, at proper times, rather than risk its operation, to their 
disadvantage and my own, during study hours ; and we can 
hardly expect two or three hundred boys and girls to be out 
in the street or a 7 x 9 yard and not make a noise." 



MONITORS. 3 

She spcke very decidedly; and he looked, as he doubtless 
felt, perfectly aghast that his opinion should be even ques- 
tioned, much less entirely disregarded. And no wonder, for 
during all these years not a dissenting voice has been heard 
in objection to anything he has done or proposed doing — for 
which fealty Miss Preston is pleased to say : " His teachers 
have grown to be mere machines, and the work done by 
them machine work, and very poor at that." 

Well, he actually passed that over without a word, although 
I fully expected that she would be summarily dismissed 
" for insubordination " — as two ladies were at one time in 
Oswego. 

He did not come near our school again for a whole week, 
although his coming to settle difficulties used to be of 
frequent occurrence under the former dispensations; but 
when he made his next appearance they had another "little 
unpleasantness." She had gone down stairs to assist one 
of the second grade teachers out of a momentary trouble, 
and on her return Miss Preston found Mr. Johnson doing 
sentinel duty at her desk. 

" Do you consider it conducive to good order, Miss Pres- 
ton, to leave your school without a monitor ? " 

" Much more so than it would be to encourage tattling 
personal spite, revenge, etc., by having one." 

" What do you mean by that ? " 

" Simply this : their self-respect is injured by being 
watched as if they were criminals, by spies or detectives 
appointed for that purpose. Self-respect is the basis of 
all self-government, which is the only true government for 
children and youth ; and just in proportion as we injure or 
destroy that fundamental element of real order, we create 



4 PRESTON PAPERS. 

the very faults we are seeking to eradicate. To rob a child 
of its self-respect is. like removing the mainspring from a 
watch; and the constant looking for faults will soon give 
occasion that we shall not look in vain, for by that very 
means we are planting and cultivating the seeds we most 
earnestly wish rooted out, and we come to be looked upon 
as the natural enemy of the children whom we really love 
and honestly wish to benefit." 

" How, then, would you manage such a roomful when- 
ever you find it necessary to leave them for a time by 
themselves ? " 

" I don't intend to leave such young children alone much, 
of course, as mischief would inevitably ensue among so 
large a number ; but when I must, I sometimes say : * Now, 
children, be careful not to waste any time while I am gone, 
and watch yourselves j then when I come back perhaps you 
may tell me if you do anything you ought not to.' " 

" And do you mean to say that they will tell of themselves?** 
he asked, a trifle incredulously. 

" Certainly ; after a little education in that direction they 
much prefer, as a rule, to confess their own faults, rather 
than have some one else do so for them." 

" I see that they do not all sit in a straight line. That 
will never do. Order must be preserved." 

"Certainly it must. But what is order? If they were 
candles, now, and had all been run in one mold, we might 
set them up regularly at just such an angle, and require 
them to stay 'fixed' the entire twenty-four hours without 
any compunctions of conscience; but as they are human 
beings, we may reasonably suppose that a slight variation of 
position now and then will be found acceptable to the tired 



ORDER. 5 

muscles ; and I think that in the long run the very best 
order is secured by giving them a little less military drill 
and a trifle more latitude as to position, besides rendering, 
ourselves less liable to be held amenable to the law that 
provides 'for the prevention of cruelty to children.' " 

" Why, there is a little boy actually swinging his feet in 
school time ! " 

" And why not, pray ? He is very intent upon getting his 
lesson — and at the same time he is quite careful not to 
make a noise. So long as it does not disturb any one 
else and interferes with nobody's equal rights, I would not 
rebuke it." 

" But it looks badly, and gives your school the appearance 
of being disorderly." 

" Conceded ; and we are told to avoid even the appear- 
ance of evil," said she, cheerfully. a But in this case, I 'd 
prefer taking my chances on the appearance of it, rather 
than on the evil itself. There are forces constantly at work 
within us that tend toward the discovery of the principle of 
perpetual motion, and they can hardly be repressed in a. 
healthy child without serious physical injury. The greatest 
good to the greatest number is the object I desire to secure,, 
even if done at the expense of my reputation as a disciplin- 
arian. Besides, I am not quite convinced that geometric 
regularity of position is the highest type of order," etc., 
etc., etc. 

Now, Mr. Superintendent, what will be the result of these 
and like heresies ? — for this is only a tithe, she warmly 
declaring that we are " in the rut " and that she will resign 
her position before she will allow herself to be driven into 
it. At first I was horrified, and I still fail to understand 



£ PRESTON PAPERS. 

some of her startling theories. Will you bring the com- 
bined wisdom of yourself and your intelligent associates to 
my assistance ? Is she living in advance of the age, or are 
we away down here a little bit backward and ante-diluvian ? 
I am candid in wishing to know the best ways, and maybe 
we have become a little " set " in our methods. 

If you please, I wish to tell you sometime about her ideas 
of corporal punishment as preferred to some others, that is 
if you wish to hear again from 

Yours, in the common cause, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



REPORTS. 



No. 11. 

REPORTS. 

Oldtown, N. Y., March 13, 188-. 
Mr. , Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Dear Sir : — Your very kind reply to my recent recital 
was duly received, and contents fully noted — and having 
really determined to unburden myself of my difficulties I 
scarcely know where to begin. Should I fail to find a stop- 
ping place, you will please insert a period wherever you 
deem it proper, and I will take the hint. 

I think I will begin with a sketch of our teachers' meeting 
for November, although the vexed question of corporal 
punishment was not discussed until the December meeting. 
But of that anon. 

We have always held our teachers' meetings on the third 
Saturday of each month. No one is obliged to be present, 
although all are expected to. After the opening exercises 
the roll is called and each teacher responds by reading his 
or her " Monthly Report," which is about as follows : 

Number of boys enrolled. Girls, ditto. Total. 

Average age of boys. Ditto, girls. Total. 

Average attendance of boys. Ditto, girls. Total. 

Cases of tardiness among boys. Ditto, girls. Total. 

Time (given in hours and minutes) lost by tardiness 
among boys. Ditto, girls. Total. 



:g PRESTON PAPERS. 

Number of absences among boys. Ditto, girls. Total. 

Absences excused among boys. Ditto, girls. Total. 

Lessons lost by absence and tardiness among boys. Ditto, 
.girls. Total. 

Names and number of classes taught, with the average 
per cent of scholarship for each class. 

Now was not that systematic ? 

After a few remarks from the Chair — our superintendent 
always held that office — in which he generally thinks " we 
are getting along comfortably," and " hopes we realize our 
responsibilities and will do our duty" in a very calm and 
•dignified manner, we are dismissed. This has been the 
routine for many years, and it stands to reason that the 
" Reports " are beneficial, else why should we have them ? 

Occasionally the meetings have been varied by the pres- 
ence of one or more members of the board of education, 
who would pat us on the back, as it were, in some set phrase 
when called upon to address the meeting. 

Well, Miss Preston was present at the September session, 
but she did not take any part — simply saying when her 
name was called that she " had not prepared any report, and 
she did not as yet see the advantage of taking such a census 
«very month." 

You ought to have seen the significant looks among the 
teachers as Mr. Johnson replied, with a rather red face : 
""It has the advantage of showing at a glance just where we 
stand." 

" Very likely," she responded rather dryly, " but I fail to 
see, myself, how the number of boys or girls, or both, in 
School No. 9, can affect my own ; or how the knowledge of 
their average age or scholarship can benefit my pupils." 



TRICKS IN REPORTS. g 

"Well, well, we won't discuss it now," he said, more testily 
than real politeness would countenance. "The secretary 
will please call the next name." 

As that happened to be my own, I arose and read the 
report over which I had spent all the previous evening and 
a good share of Saturday morning. I had done so every 
month for years, but somehow its importance now faded 
from my mind; and I wondered, while reading it, if Mr. 
Johnson really thought these " reports " are accurate. Of 
course "There are tricks in all trades but ours," but I will 
tell you confidentially that this system has been made the 
excuse for some false entries. Bad book-keeping is not 
entirely confined to county treasurers and bank cashiers. 
Miss Young, for instance, may not want to have it appear 
that the standard of her school is lower than that of some 
one else, so she does not always record the absence or tardi- 
ness; or if she does, the temptation is to diminish the time 
so lost. Perhaps Mr. Brown would give us the impression 
that his methods of instruction are rather superior ; hence, 
his pupils are sometimes reported higher in scholarship than 
they really deserve. It is lamentable, but none the less true, 
that such things really occur where the public expects only 
such examples as are worthy of imitation. 

However, I won't stop to moralize, for I want to tell you 
about our November meeting. Of course we had one as 
usual in October, but Miss Preston was not present, having 
actually gone to the woods hickory nutting with her school 
children ! Actually, I don't see how she dared. 

Mr. Johnson fidgeted some during the exercises until 
Miss Preston's name was called. Then he arose and said, 
with the unusual blandness by which we all know when he 
is very much excited inwardly: 



IO PRESTON PAPERS. 

" As Miss Preston is not here to respond for herself, per- 
haps I can best explain her absence by reading a communi- 
cation I received from her last evening. I don't know as 
she intended it to be made public," half apologetically, "but 
I don't really understand what she does mean sometimes, 
nor what to think of her methods either in teaching or 
governing." 

Without further ado he read the following note : 
" Mr. Johnson, 

Respected Sir : — Having no particular taste for statistics, 
and no special hope or desire to undo the red tape that 
surrounds our faculty meeting, I trust you will excuse my 
absence from it to-morrow, as I intend, if the day is bright, 
to take my school for a walk to the woods, two or three 
miles up the river. 

Yours, Respectfully, 

H. M. Preston." 
A dead silence ensued, like that which precedes a clap of 
thunder on a June day. Then Mr. Johnson handed the 
note to the secretary to be filed among the other archives of 
the institution, with the remark that " Perhaps, since Miss 
Preston feels free to criticise the manner and matter of our 
meeting, we had better ask her to take charge of the next 
one." 

Some of us fancied that his tone was rather cynical ; but it 
it was he must have been disappointed at the result of his 
suggestion, for Mr. Brown immediately moved that '' she be 
requested to act as president at the next meeting." The 
motion was instantly seconded by two voices and carried by 
a unanimous vote of the house. 

I wanted to ask that she also be requested to furnish 



LESSONS LEARNED DURING THE WALK. 1X 

a report of her Saturday in the woods, for I had a vague 
idea that there was something more than a me. e pleasure 
excursion in her mental program; but courage failed me, 
for I wouldn't dare incur Mr. Johnson's displeasure, as I'd 
be pretty sure to do if I suggested anything like a "new 
departure," be it ever so tiny. I afterward made private 
investigations among her pupils and — would you believe 
it ? — I found that she actually gave them practical lessons 
in botany, from the leaves, shrubs, and trees, as they went 
along ; from the location of streets, lots, and houses, she 
taught geography, as well as from the hills, river banks, etc.; 
she called their attention to the science of geology by means 
of the sand, gravel, and rocks; she cultivated their taste 
for natural history by living specimens of squirrels, birds, 
and insects in the woods; as if that were not enough, she 
inspired them with a wish to study literature, by producing 
a volume of Bryant and reading his grand old "Forest 
Hymn " while they were resting in the woods before eating 
their lunch. To finish with, she laid aside their usual lessons 
and text books the next Monday afternoon, and had her 
entire school writing compositions ! Only, she did not use 
the word composition. She merely said: 

" Now, if you will put away your books, quietly, you may 
each tell me what you saw or heard or did last Saturday, 
that pleased, interested, or instructed you. But as there are 
so many of you, there will not be time for all to speak, so 
you may write on your slates ; and those who have time 
and wish to may read what they write. Then if any of 
you prefer to have me read it for you I will do so sometime 
to-morrow." 

And one little boy really cried because his slate " was full 



I2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

and he hadn't half finished; he wanted to tell about that 
cunning lizard he saw," and was only consoled by being 
assured that if no one else wrote about it, he should have a 
chance another day. 

It is just wonderful how much she crowds into a small 
compass ; and she mixes education into everything, so that 
half the time the children don't know whether they are 
studying or playing. 

But where was I ? Oh, about our November session ! 
Through carelessness or otherwise, the secretary neglected 
to tell her of her election and consequent duties, until the 
evening before the meeting. But she accepted the situation, 
ignoring the intended compliment or sarcasm, or whatever 
was meant by the superintendent, and after the usual pre- 
liminaries addressed us somewhat as follows : 
"My Fellow Teachers: 

It is with great pleasure that I respond to the invitation 
which came to me at . the eleventh hour, which tardiness 
would render superfluous any apology for lack of requisite 
preparation. Ours is a noble calling, and they who enter 
it should be from among the very best types of manhood 
and womanhood. Questions of importance in the common 
cause should be discussed in common council, with ample 
opportunity for free expression of ideas and interchange of 
personal experience. All can contribute something. Those 
who have grown gray in the honorable service can give us 
who are younger the benefit of their wisdom; those who 
have attained brilliant successes in some particular depart- 
ment may be glad to get advice in some other; those who 
have failed anywhere will be glad to know how to retrieve 
their mistakes. Thus we can be of mutual help to each 



TEACHERS IN COUNCIL. I3 

other, and the monthly association of teachers be made to 
do grand work for the cause. Feeling so illy prepared to 
say anything practical — and I'm daily becoming more con- 
vinced that nothing is worth saying in such a place that is 
not practical — I took the liberty to bring my November 
number of the * Teachers' Companion ' which always has 
something of interest." 

She proceeded to read an article on " School Manage- 
ment," and then asked us to talk it over and to give our own 
experience; and do you know that we got so well under way 
and so much interested, that we never thought to dismiss at 
the traditional hour, but stayed on and on, until the light 
became so dim that we could scarcely see. It was not a bit 
formal, and I was not at all sure it would be popular; but 
the interest increased every moment. 

It is strange how far a little enthusiasm will go toward 
awakening an interest in anything. Carlyle, I think it is, says, 
in effect, that to convince others a man must be thoroughly 
in earnest, and I believe it. 

Mr. Johnson actually asked Miss Preston to continue in 
the chair ! This honor she declined however, saying, with 
a laugh, that " Under a republican form of government, a 
frequent change of administration is desirable, so that the 
offices with their emoluments and perquisites can be more 
evenly distributed among both parties ; " and Mr. Whipple 
was promoted to the dignity of president for the next meet- 
ing. I meant to tell you in this about Miss Preston's 
"school museum" — but must close this already-too-long 
letter from 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



14 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. III. 

PUNISHMENT. 

Oldtown, N. Y., April 22, 1.88-. 
Mr. , Supt., etc. 

My Dear Sir : — Your letter of inquiry is received, and 
would say in reply that we all enjoyed our November meet- 
ing so well that we determined to ask Mr. Johnson to give 
up the old way of conducting them, and let us try the 
"class-meeting" method in its stead, which we had found 
so practical and so really beneficial — for in that one after- 
noon we had gathered a rich harvest of ideas that were 
utterly unattainable in the old routine of statistics heretofore 
pursued so unquestioningly; and we had been inspired with 
a zeal for the work before unknown to us. A committee, 
therefore, waited upon him, and after presenting some well 
met objections, he consented to let matters take their course 
for a time. So we came together for the December meeting 
with a feeling of enthusiasm that was quite novel to some 
of us. 

Mr. Whipple was in the chair, and in a few well chosen 
words he proposed the subject of Punishment as a nucleus 
around which we might all gather, and said that he himself 
had experienced some difficulty in solving the problem as to 
whether we had any right to use the rod, but that he found 
less and less occasion to use it every year he taught. 



WHIPPING. 1 5 

Miss Wood was then called upon, and she confessed that 
she had never yet attempted to administer corporal punish- 
ment without fear of personal consequences to herself ! 
It seemed quite easy to believe her, for although large 
of stature and somewhat advanced in years, she has no 
"presence; " and I can readily believe that under her weak 
administration the majesty of the law would suffer contempt. 
Indeed, I am told by one of her assistants — she is Principal 
of Grammar School No. 5 — that she actually has to "play 
tag " with any one whom she sees fit to call up for real or 
supposed misdemeanors ; and when the culprit is finally 
captured he ( Of course it is always a boy. Girls go scot 
free for the same offense that in a boy would be deemed 
unpardonable I ) not infrequently defends himself ; nay, 
more, sometimes even acting on the aggressive. Dignified ? 
No, I don't think so. I hardly believe she is capable of 
inspiring any one with a wholesome degree of awe, nor do I 
wonder that she is afraid to whip a pupil and trembles for 
the consequences when she does it. 

Mr. Smith was the next speaker, and he declared without 
any hesitation that " Whipping does no good anyway. It 
does not last and doesn't mean anything while it does last." 
Verily, in his hands it would not. He is second assistant 
in Senior School No. 2, and his boys — yes, and girls too — 
run right over him; and in his hands a rod would be about as 
effectual as rosewater in a revolution ! Why, only last week 
his botany class — young ladies from fourteen to eighteen, 
with a few boys sprinkled in — demanded half a day out, in 
which to look up specimens; and when he ventured the 
feeble remonstrance that it was " too early yet, in the season," 
one of them cheerfully confided the fact that "You might 



j 5 PRESTON PAPERS. 

as well say * Yes ' first as last, for we are all going to the 
matinee this afternoon and the botany was only an excuse ! " 
And they went without further parley ! Fancy him trying 
to bring any one to time ! Some people are bold enough to 
suggest that he ought to be discharged for his incompetency 
(the very last thing in the world to discharge a teacher for), 
but they are in blissful ignorance of the political chain 
surrounding our school system here, of which he is an 
important link. Somebody might lose a vote if he were 
discharged, and so, perchance, lose an opportunity to feed 
at the public crib ! You surely did not suppose we were 
really hired from the sole standpoint of merit? Ah, no. 
This is a progressive age, and that plan like other obsolete 
customs is " more honored in the breach than in the observ- 
ance." Some of us would not be retained very long if it 
were otherwise, although very comfortable as it is, knowing 
that the political influence of our friends will not be ignored. 

Blessed be the ballot box, containing as it does the expres- 
sion of every American voter's unbiased opinion ! Few, 
indeed, among our number who are not indebted to it both 
for position and salary. Long may it wave ! But I digress. 
Let me find myself before I get too far lost. 

Miss Sigourney was the next speaker. Her reputation is 
that of a rigorous disciplinarian. It is an unquestioned 
axiom that "Force without justice is tyranny" — and judged 
by this standard she is no less a tyrant of to-day, than was 
Nero of old, except in degree, she never losing the grasp on 
her whip nor an opportunity of using it. To be sure she 
has an unruly set of pupils who sometimes break out into 
open rebellion — but I'm not at all sure that she is not at 
least in a measure responsible for it herself. Certainly, 



A RIGOROUS DISCIPLINARIAN. z y 

nothing can be more brutalizing in its effect than the con- 
tinued sight and sound of retribution administered to those 
who are powerless to help themselves, even when an actual 
injustice is being shown — as must sometimes be the case 
where the application is so frequent; and occasional mutiny 
may be looked for, where the teacher is at war with child- 
nature. Of course she advocated the free use of Solomon's 
" Spare not," and that in terms not noted for any especial 
tenderness. There is cruelty in her mouth ; vindictiveness 
in her eye; resolution in her tramp, and subjugation in her 
entire manner. It is enough to stir up all the old Adam 
there is in any one, simply to look at her. Perhaps the 
hardness of her features may be traced to the rocky, sterile 
soil of her early home ; but it is doubtless augmented by 
her own daily practices which cannot but leave their marks. 
She looks like a person that has missed the best part of life 

— and has become calloused and fossilized by an experience 
that would have made some natures only the more sweet 
and womanly. 

I was next called upon, and said with some trepidation 
that ridicule and sarcasm were as good instruments as any I 
had ever tried in the way of punishment. Miss Preston 
was on the opposite side of the room, but her impatience to 
speak was plainly visible ; even at that distance I could see 
her eyes flash and her brows knit while waiting for her 
turn to come, and then how perfectly regal she looked as 
she denounced theory after theory ! When she reached the 
climax I was fairly awed by her manner ! Would I could 
give you the burning words just as they came from her lips 

— but I can scarcely do even faint justice to the ideas that 
must lose so much of their intensity in the printed page, 



j8 PRESTON PAPERS. 

and from whose freshness and originality so much is taken 
by repetition. 

" Some of you argue," said she, " against corporal punish- 
ment because of its cruelty; but you advocate in its stead 
raillery, ridicule, sarcasm, and contempt. You are afraid to 
leave the marks of corporal punishment on the bodies of 
your pupils; but you do not hesitate to inflict on their souls 
wounds that can never be healed by any poultice save that 
of love and tenderness, and whose scars will last thro' life. 
If corporal punishment is pronounced brutal and degrading, 
what shall you say of mental punishment, which is so painful 
to sensitive natures and deadening to stubborn ones ? " 

"Perhaps Miss Preston will favor us with some sugges- 
tions," came from the Chair. 

Miss Pkeston's Assistant. 



PUNISHMENT. I9 



No. IV. 

PUNISHMENT ( Continued). 

"Well, I do not believe entirely in the sugar plum system,' 
she said ; " although I find but few who are not more easily 
led than driven ; very few on whom kindness is thrown 
away. But I do sometimes find two classes of troublesome 
children : spoiled children, who have to be dealt with very 
firmly, although in all kindness ; and neglected children, 
those who have no good home influences — these require 
gentler treatment, and in no case would I sneer at them. I 
would be very careful even how I rallied them, or made 
tools of their feelings for any purpose. A child's feelings 
are too delicate for rough or frequent handling. Bulwer 
touches upon this point when he says : ' Our feelings, espe- 
cially in youth, resemble that leaf which is described by 
some old traveler as expanding itself to warmth ; but when 
chilled, not only shrinking and closing but presenting to the 
spectator thorns which had before lain concealed upon the 
opposite side of it.' All punishment should depend, not 
only upon the offense itself but also upon the character and 
motive of the offender. We are too often ourselves to 
blame for the perverseness and disobedience of our pupils, 
by our lack of tact in administering censure when it becomes 
necessary; by the uncalled for and unwise parade of our 
suspicions, which frequently prove unjust; by the threats 



20 PRESTON PAPERS. 

which we make and do not mean to put into execution, and 
which we would not if we could ; by the futile attempt to 
practice upon theories whose fundamental principles are not 
understood, as well as our neglect of those that are seen to 
be right, having been dictated with common sense for their 
basis ; by our lack of self-control, without which no one of 
us has any right to assume the control of others ; and by 
sacrificing ends to means in general." ' 

We were spell-bound. Not one of us but felt the truth of 
her impressive home thrusts, and not one other that would 
have dared venture to make the same remarks. 

"How would you govern bad children, then?" 

"In two ways: Negatively — by not acting as though I 
thought that total depravity was a foregone conclusion and 
that I was elected to take vengeance for it ; positively — by 
a firm belief in the possibility of reformation ; by striving 
to aid its accomplishment through kindness, self respect, 
and trust. Like the old man in the spelling book, I would 
first try the effect of kind words ; these failing I would use 
grass, and only as a last resort, stones." 

" Then you would use corporal punishment occasionally ? " 
(This from Miss Sigourney.) 

"Yes — but only under the greatest restriction, and in a 
rational way and amount ; generally in private, and but very 
seldom immediately after the offense." 

"Why? Please give your reasons for the last two 
conditions." 

" In' private (unless the nature of the wrong requires 
public reprimand ) both because it is too humiliating to the 
offender, and too hardening in its influence upon the rest. 
Not immediately, because in nine cases out of ten the real 



RESTRICTIONS UPON CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. 2I 

reason we whip a child is because we lose our own temper, 
and by waiting we may find it. I do not say we should 
never be angry, for a righteous indignation is never out of 
place, if directed against anything cruel, mean, or dishonest; 
but if we wait a while, we shall see the extenuating circum- 
stances, if there are any, and be more apt to administer 
justice with less of personal feeling. The very best strategy 
we can use in meeting any evil habit is to put in a good one 
to counteract it. Still, there may be natures that can be 
reached by nothing else so effectually as by a decent amount 
of whipping ( only we must be too wise to be arbitrary or 
despotic). J. G. Holland must have met with just such a 
character before writing ' Nicholas Minturn,' as he describes 
in his inimitable way a boy of that class. The boy had 
been educated in the streets, and the spiritual pabulum he 
received in the Sunday School had been of the sickly, senti- 
mental sort that had left him a complete bully, and a coward 
as well — the one characteristic usually accompanying the 
other. But it so happened that once upon a time he learned 
that there is such a thing as a limit to human patience, and 
the lesson was not lost. He had worried his Sunday School 
teacher during the entire session and then followed her 
home, snowballing her on the way. Reaching the front steps, 
she turned around and smilingly invited him to ' Come in.' 
He was nothing loth, having experienced just such a sugar- 
and-water return for his brutality to others before; so, slyly 
winking to a companion outside, and promising to divide 
the expected spoil, he entered with her. She ushered him 
into a luxuriously furnished parlor and bade him amuse 
himself while she went up stairs to lay aside her hat and 
cloak. He did so and became so thoroughly engrossed in 



2 2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

contemplation of the works of art and ornament before 
him, as well as by his own sense of smartness in having once 
more secured a premium for his abuse of kindness, that he 
did not know she had returned until he felt his head drawn 
back by the hair, held in a firm and unrelenting grasp by 
the lily white fingers of one delicate hand of his teacher, 
while she used the other, with some emphasis, on his face, 
leaving a wholesome sting after every blow. He was too 
much astonished to resent it, and when she dismissed him 
with a few incisive words, he left her presence a changed 
being in one respect, and her devoted champion ever after." 
This brought the meeting to an end, as I must my letter, 
which is already too long, and I have not mentioned one 
word about the " Museum " yet ! However, it will keep 
until you again hear from 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



THE MUSEUM. 23 



No. V. 

THE MUSEUM. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Aug. 18, 188-. 
Mr. , State Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Dear Sir : — Hoping that you can make use of this, 
in your talks with teachers, I want to tell you about our 
museum, for it certainly has been a wonderful "help" in 
our school, and mayhap some other teacher knowing of it 
may be persuaded to go and do likewise. 

At the left of the hall as we enter our schoolroom is a 
closet which has been used as a sort of storeroom from time 
immemorial. Early in the fall term, while Miss Preston was 
yet a stranger, practically, she requested one of the boys 
to stay after school one night and help her. Now it so 
happened ( or did she plan it for his benefit ? ) that he was 
one who, by his disobedient and unruly spirit, had given 
her numerous predecessors much trouble, both by his own 
conduct and by his evil influence over those who, if left to 
themselves would be harmless, but who are always foremost 
in a mob of any kind. So we were somewhat surprised at 
her selection, although as yet none of us had any idea of 
the nature or amount of help required by our principal, for 

Miss Preston is one of those rare worn spirits, I mean, 

who do not publish all their plans, even to their " dear five 
hundred " friends. 



2 4 PRESTON PAPERS. 

However, we were rather indifferent, for up to this time we 
subordinates had not felt any particular " kinship of soul " 
for the young stranger who had been given one of the best 
positions in the city— and that, too, right over the heads of so 
many of us who were older and whose years of faithful toil 
were thereby completely ignored; and we were not going to 
be surprised if she did spring a wasps' nest; nor would we 
offer one friendly suggestion to prevent any catastrophe 
which our peculiar talents for forecasting trouble had shown 
would be inevitable. All that we were waiting for was the 
opportunity to say calmly, but with none the less triumph : 
" I told you so ! " (I may as well add, right here, that the 
golden opportunity never came, and we are now somewhat 
abashed to think we ever wished for it.) 

But I am getting too far from that closet, which surprised 
us the next morning by its complete transformation. The 
blinds, heretofore closed, were now open ; the window had 
been cleaned and was shaded by a pretty, although inex- 
pensive, lambrequin of blue and gray cretonne; the shelves 
were also clean and covered with blue paper of the same 
shade as the lambrequin. The old brooms, kindling wood, 
coal scuttle, dust pan, waste paper, etc., that had always held 
undisputed possession of the floor, were nowhere visible. 
History has since revealed the fact — through the lips of the 
janitor — that they were banished to the furnace basement. 

Miss Preston had not arrived when I entered the school- 
room, but James Moore soon came in ( He always used to be 
u Jimmed," but Miss Preston never calls any of the pupils 
by any other than their proper names. She says it is not 
courteous, nor respectful to the wish of those who gave them 
the name, and that it has a tendency to lower the tone of a 



NICKNAMES— MUSEUM INTRODUCED. 2 $ 

child's morals by lessening its self-respect; and gradually 
we have left off substituting " Maggie, Matie, Sammy, Tom, 
Dick, and Harry," for Margaret, Mary, Samuel, Thomas, 
Richard, and Henry); and then the questions plied loudly 
and rapidly. At first he evaded them, but when Agatha 
Breese said in her contemptuous way : *' If you were much 
of a gentleman you would not treat a lady's questions in 
this way ; " he straightened himself up and said, with more 
manliness and force of character than I ever saw him exhibit 
before : 

" I am too much of a gentleman to betray anybody's con- 
fidence. Miss Preston did not consider it necessary to ask 
me not to tell her plans ; and as she trusted me, I mean to 
show myself worthy of it ; " and such is the power of one 
strong will in a crowd that not another question was asked, 
although such exclamations as "I wonder," "I guess," and 
" I hope," were numerous. 

We had not long to wait, however, for just before recess 
that day she struck the signal for '* Order," and then said: 

" My dear pupils, I have a plan in which I hope you will 
be interested, as it may become a source of much pleasure 
as well as profit. You doubtless see and hear of many 
things, every day, both in nature and art, which you do not 
fully understand, some, perhaps, of which you know nothing; 
and I propose to make use of our closet as a cabinet 01 
museum, to hold such specimens as you may collect from 
time to time for study and classification. We will have 
each article properly labeled and catalogued with as full a 
description as we can obtain. I have provided a large 
blank book for that purpose and mean to divide the work 
of keeping the entries amjng those of you who wish. As 



26 PRESTON PAPERS. 

a beginning I have brought, for contribution, a few things 
which you are at liberty to examine and talk about during 
recess." 

So saying she placed on her desk a piece of coral, a stick 
of sealing wax, some cotton seeds, and a pod containing a 
small quantity of cotton, a chromo, some steel filings, a 
whale's tooth, some silver ore, a slate pencil, and a piece of 
mahogany. 

The " Museum," as a matter of course, became the chief 
topic of conversation from that moment, and when the 
pupils returned after the noon intermission, they were laden 
with specimens for it from things common and familiar, and 
some that were not as well known. Intelligent thought was 
awakened, and the pupils thought, talked, and read, to some 
purpose. Spare moments have been spent by all of us in a 
diligent search for information in dictionaries, cyclopaedias, 
works of natural history, the sciences, etc., and now the 
collection has become a large and really valuable as well as 
interesting one, having had several contributions from those 
outside of the school, who had become interested by seeing 
or hearing of it. 

And the Museum has helped govern our school, providing 
occupation for the mind and body, filling up time that might 
have been spent in idleness or in plotting mischief, and 
finally by knitting together in warm friendship the hearts of 
pupil and teacher, those who, alas ! too often stand in the 
lamentable position of antagonists. Think you the child 
who is called upon to assist or allowed in any way to partici- 
pate in things of this kind will betray the confidence of the 
teacher whose love and wisdom originated it ? I tell you 
" Nay." There is no such thing as total depravity. 



EFFECTS OF THE MUSEUM. 2 y 

"But does it pay?" I heard Miss Wood ask of Miss 
Preston last spring. " You are looking worn and thin, and 
all this extra work seems to me like giving ' too many oats 
for a shilling ; ' it will never be appreciated outside of your 
pupils — doubtful if even they do so before they are forty; 
and the trustees will never make the humane discovery that, 
you are working beyond your strength, as well as beyond 
your salary." 

Tears actually stood in Miss Preston's eyes as she replied 
softly: " Yes, it pays a thousand-fold, if by this means even 
one child is brought into closer communion with Nature, 
and led to a higher conception of the Infinite Wisdom that 
planned and created it for our use and enjoyment. As for 
myself, it is my work. I love it and have chosen it — because 
I love it — in preference to everything else; and anything 
that I can do to promote the welfare of my school is not too 
dear, even at the expense of some of my time and strength 
beyond the six hours per diem for which I am legally 
responsible." 

And right here I must add, in justice to the above-men- 
tioned gentlemen, the trustees, that at their July meeting, 
they, voluntarily and without a hint from any one, increased 
Miss Preston's salary for the coming year, making it nine 
hundred instead of seven hundred dollars. Verily, all trus- 
tees are not deaf as well as blind, nor are all their hearts 
ossified ! (Teachers will please make a note of this discov- 
ery. Editor.) 

But I must tell you "how" and then close. Our closet 
is eminently suitable for the purpose, having a window at 
one end, a door at the other, and shelves on either side 
with cupboards beneath them. Pasteboard of different 



2 g PRESTON PAPERS. 

colors has been used for cutting out letters to designate the 
animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, and the specimens 
are grouped accordingly, numbered, and the corresponding 
number placed in the catalogue, together with the date of 
entry, name of the contributor, and as complete a descrip- 
tion as can be obtained. Many of the children have note 
books, in which they write about anything that specially 
pleases or interests them, and thus the foundation is laid 
for many a composition — which, by the way, Miss Preston 
succeeds in getting from all her pupils without any of the 
usual " scuffles " over it. 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



THE SCHOOLROOM. 



29 



No. VI. 

RESPONSIBILITY. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Sept. 29, 188-. 
Mr. , Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Very Dear Sir : — Miss Preston always seems to have 
an idea that the schoolroom should be made and kept not 
only clean and comfortable but pleasant ; and her innova- 
tions in this direction have been simply wonderful — at the 
same time they have been so wonderfully simple that they 
may be brought about by any teacher who will act upon 
Mrs. Chick's advice to Mrs. Dombey, and " Make an effort, 
Louisa ! " 

So far as I personally am concerned I do not believe 
it essential to correct parsing that every atom of dirt be 
rendered invisible; nor can I see any relation between apple 
cores and paper wads on the floor and ceiling and idleness, 
whispering, mischief, and unlearned lessons. But then, I'm 
no logician, and Miss Preston is, and when she begins to 
reason about cause and effect, and to bring tangible and 
incontrovertible proot to substantiate her argument, I am 
obliged to acquiesce — or seem to, at least. "A man con- 
vinced against his will," etc. 

Nearly a year ago I was much surprised to hear Miss 
Preston tell Mr. Johnson that she wanted some new curtains, 
a thermometer, and a waste paper basket for her schoolroom. 



3 o PRESTON PAPERS. 

He opened his eyes, rather at the character than at the 
number of her requests, then blandly informed her that he'd 
refer her items to the "committee on incidentals" — and 
would you believe it ? In less than a week she had all three ! 
They called a special meeting to consider her wants, and 
cited her to appear and state her reasons for the same. 

" Curtains ! " said Mr. Seeley, " are there no blinds to 
your windows? " 

" Yes, sir. But when they are open the light is so strong 
as to be dazzling ; and when closed, they not only make the 
room too dark, but they also hinder ventilation. I have 
observed that many of the older pupils are near-sighted; and 
I wish them to have as good light as is possible, for I believe 
that much of this trouble is due to the poor or insufficient 
light at school. Many, too, show indications of catarrh and 
lung trouble, and these are always aggravated by impure 
air. I find the sunlight a very necessary auxiliary in keep- 
ing the children well and cheerful while at their work ; but 
at times it needs to be somewhat moderated in its intensity, 
and this is best done by means of a light cloth shade that 
will not exclude the light." 

After a short whispered conversation they voted a unani- 
mous "Aye " to that request. 

" But what in the world do you want of a thermometer ? " 

Without showing the least annoyance she explained that 
also : 

" As my duties keep me on my feet and give me more or 
less exercise, I am not the best judge of. the temperature 
proper for those who are sitting and whose circulation is 
therefore imperfect. That hinders digestion, causing head- 
ache, etc. We do not expect a chain to support a greater 



CLEANLINESS— HEALTH— HABITS. 3 1 

weight than will its weakest link ; and when a child's 
physique is dwarfed, stunted, or weakened, we need not 
look for activity of brain." 

That argument proved a clincher, and when Mr. Hol- 
brook reported favorably on that matter, he suggested 
mischievously : 

" I suppose you have some sanitary reason for wishing a 
waste paper basket, too, or is it merely a moral one ? " 

" Both," she replied promptly. " Cleanliness is not only 
'next to godliness,' but is also one of the first and best 
means of preserving health. Consistency would prevent 
me from insisting on personal neatness among my pupils, 
if my floor were allowed to become untidy. Besides, the 
habits of childhood and youth go with us through life, and 
a teacher has a grave responsibility in helping form those 
habits." 

She had scarcely finished when Mr. Russell, as chairman 
of the committee, exclaimed : 

" You shall have the basket, Miss Preston, and the curtains, 
and the thermometer, or anything else you want for your 
school while I have a dollar in my purse. If we have finally 
found a teacher who will really show some interest in the 
pupils beyond a salaried or text-book interest, we will stand 
by her to a unit." 

He sat down and Miss Preston spoke again : 

" Teachers are not always so indifferent as they seem; but 
they are sometimes in error as to where the duties of parents 
leave off and their own begin. They do not want to seem 
officious, and if Edward comes to school with unwashed 
face and uncombed hair, they are diffident about speaking 
of it, for fear of hurting some sensitive mother's feelings — 



3 2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

forgetful, mayhap, that Edward's mother has a family of 
several to look after and that, in the multiplicity of duties 
incumbent upon her, she almost necessarily neglected to 
look out for Edward's finger nails, teeth, etc., but who at 
the same time would be glad to know that her little boy 
was receiving a proper education upon this subject, as well 
as upon the boundaries, capital, and government of his 
country." 

"True, Miss 'Preston. And yet our experience has led us 
to believe that as a rule teachers think their duties ended 
with the lessons in the text books, forgetting that the great 
lessons of life are not found therein. They are ' hired ' at 
so much per annum, so many hours per diem, and for such 
and such purposes. These conditions fulfilled to the letter, 
they have no further interest in the young immortals com- 
mitted to their care, and to whom they stand in loco parentis." 

" Now I do not think you do us justice as a class, although 
I am aware that some enter the profession without any 
appreciation of the responsibilities or opportunities for good 
that are theirs. But is this not true in every walk of life ? 
Does every physician realize that he may be a home mission- 
ary ? Will every lawyer plead only on the side of justice ? 
Does every editor use his voice and pen only for right ? 
There are laborers and shirks in every vineyard ; and of 
course, our calling is not an exception." 

Well — since then our schoolroom has been literally trans- 
formed by pictures, brackets, plants, and a careful ja?iitor. 
And yet there was no friction about it. It came about in the 
most natural way imaginable. Miss Preston one morning 
brought a jar containing a pink primrose in blossom, and 
put it on the window stool. After school one of the girls 



RESULTS ACCOMPLISHED. 33 

asked if she might water it, and on receiving permission, 
said : 

''If you'd like a Madeira vine to train around this south 
window, I'll bring you one in the morning." 

And she did. Then some one brought a fuchsia, another 
a geranium ; and so the leaven worked until every window 
was made beautiful with the "Green things growing" of 
which dear Dinah Muloch sings. 

Later she brought a dozen illuminated mottoes, and hung 
them on the walls; then came a picture from one of the boys, 
tendered half shyly " to help " as he said. Others followed, 
lending what they had not permission to give. And the 
contents of the waste paper basket were stored in the base- 
ment in barrels, and at the end of the term sold to buy more 
pictures ! Economy and aesthetics, all by means of a fifty 
cent basket ! 

What is the effect of all this ? 

No truancy for one thing. One lady tells about her boy of 
f-welve years crying because his father kept him out of school 
during the busy week preceding the holidays, to help in his 
store. 

Good lessons and learned without urging is another result. 
The children hunger and thirst to know. 

And a strong, warm bond of friendship between teacher 
and pupil is another result. "Governing" is easy, and the 
whole machinery moves without a jog. 

I meant to tell you about her daily " Five Minute Lec- 
tures " on etiquette, current news, science, books, etc., but 
can not now. 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



34 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. VII. 

GEOGRAPHY. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Oct. 13, 188- 
Mr. , State Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Dear Sir : — Of a truth u great minds run in the same 
channel," for the subject under discussion at our Teachers' 
Meeting in September was that of Geography, and behold, 
when I received your last favor it contained the call for our 
experience on that topic. I had been wishing for an excuse 
to give you, in epitome, Miss Preston's ideas on that very 
subject, and now believe that the excuse is no longer lacking. 

The teachers in the primary grade were first called upon, 
then the junior, intermediate, senior and grammar school 
teachers — for geography is taught on each separate round 
of the ladder, not excepting the High School. Miss Preston 
had charge of the meeting that day, and consequently said 
nothing, as one after another arose to give his or her experi- 
ence — for that is how our conferences are being conducted 
now — nor did she take any part in the "free parliament" 
which follows each one's speech, essay or paper. By request 
of Mr. Johnson, however, she came in beautifully on the 
{i Amen " end of the question, somewhat as follows : 
Fellow Teachers : 

It has always seemed to me that too much time is spent 
in teaching geography. We begin it in the Primary Depart- 



HOW TO TEACH IT. 35 

ment and continue it throughout the entire graduating 
course, increasing the dose each year, " according to the 
age of the patient," as the medical prescriptions read, until 
by the time the boy or girl is ready for the High School, he 
or she has consumed many hours in swallowing geography 
that should have been given to something else. 

Again ; it is made of too much importance. Geography 
might be easily taught as an incidental, which is all it is. 
In teaching history the places referred to should be looked 
up and as much as possible learned from maps, cyclopaedias, 
etc., by the pupils. This knowledge should be supple- 
mented by the teacher — every teacher being a complete 
storehouse of geographical as well as other knowledge — 
and questions asked that will elicit what they have learned. 
So in reading. If the reading lesson refers to any country 
or product or people, or to any natural or political division 
of land or water, the lesson should not be considered " fin- 
ished " merely because well read, and the definitions — 
usually " blind leaders of the blind " — promptly given ; but 
a careful description should be given by the teacher who 
should call for a written or oral report of the same next day 
by the class. Geography, as a secondary matter, may be 
combined with many other studies, and successfully taught 
and learned with comparatively little waste of time. 

Again ; there is too much " book geography " and too 
little real. There are too many verbatim recitations required 
about things but half understood. I visited a summer 
school during my last vacation, where the first class that 
recited after my entrance was one in geography — eleven 
little boys and girls who answered, glibly and perfectly, 
about the products and exports of Brazil, and who correctly 



36 PRESTON PAPERS. 

gave the boundaries and capital cities of nearly every South 
American division. 

Evidently the teacher was very proud of the parrot-like 
recitations, for she turned to me with glowing cheeks and 
flashing eyes, inquiring if I did not " think they do pretty 
well for so young children ? " " I do not remember that 
they have varied by a hair's breadth from the text," I replied. 
" Nor would they if you were to begin at the first page and 
question them up to where they are now studying," she 
replied proudly. 

I was horrified! Cramming a child's memory with words 
which he does not understand, facts which are beyond his 
comprehension, and dates and figures that have no meaning 
in them except as so much mental torture for nothing ! 

"Try it," she urged, "ask anything you like." 

I shrank instinctively for I knew that the result would be 
confusing to the pupils and embarrassing to her, if I stepped 
ever so slightly from the path of rote work. She persisted, 
and I turned in despair to a thin faced, white haired little 
boy whose bright eyes and quick, nervous movement had first 
attracted my attention, and later, whose prompt, decisive 
replies had called out an encomium from his — shall I say 
it? — injudicious teacher. 

"You are the little boy who recited about the products of 
Brazil," said I, "now can you tell me what you mean by 
'products ?' " 

He began an enumeration of the products again, but I 
said : 

" No ; you do not understand me, I think. When you 
speak of ' products ' what do you mean ? " 

"Those are the products I just told you," he reaffirmed. 



MISS PRESTON'S PLAN. 



3T 



" Yes, that is true ; but if I ask you to tell me what the 
word means, will you explain it to me ? Play that I am a 
little girl and do not know anything about that big word. 
Can you help me understand it ? " 

He was silent, but smiled faintly at the idea of playing 
anything in school. Presently a little hand went up on the 
seat next to his, and I said to the little girl who raised it : 

" Perhaps Julia will tell me ? " 

11 Please, ma'am, the products is the answer we get by 
multiplying in our arithmetics," was the timid response, and 
a look of uncertain triumph at Henry. 

I did not despair — but is it not pitiful that teachers do 
not make things more real to their pupils ? Page after page 
is memorized mechanically — and is of no use. I have my 
doubts about giving children a text book at all for this 
study ; certainly not until they are old enough to appreciate 
the reason why the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of 
Mexico, as well as the fact that it is so. 

"What, then, is your plan? " inquired Miss Sigourney. 

"Well, I would have maps and charts on the wall for 
ready reference in each department. I would have books 
of history, travel and description from which 1 would give 
them 'bits' of geographical instruction. I would have 
scrap books filled with pictures of places and people, and 
newspaper items of important information about different 
lands. I would have boxes of photographs and stereo- 
scopic views of as many cities, noted places, etc., as I could 
gather. I would teach by map drawing ; by comparing one 
country with another, the past with the present, etc., never 
omitting to find and give the reason for the barrenness, fer- 
tility, heat, cold, productions and general expression of any 



38 PRESTON PAPERS. 

place mentioned or referred to in each lesson of each class. 
I would once in a while substitute a ' talk ' about the civ- 
ilized countries of this century for some other lesson. 
Another time it might be the discoveries ; and again — if 
the pupils were old enough to take it in — the governments. 
In this way they may not learn the name of every unimpor- 
tant city, town and village of every European or Asiatic 
state, and they may not be able to pronounce every difficult 
Russian name ; but they will be able to give a reason for 
the difference in character, civilization and progress when 
there is a difference in the natural conditions. They may 
not learn to ' bound ' every State in our own country to a 
nicety, but they will be able without any trouble to tell why 
the Eastern States were settled first ; why the climate varies 
in different sections and how it affects the inhabitants ; and 
they will have had time to learn how to care for their own 
bodies, as well as brains, which is more than they do now ; 
at least I suppose the universal plea 'want of time' is the 
only reason we, as teachers, do not more frequently give 
practical lessons in diet, dress, bathing, exercise, etc., to our 
pupils. While they are young there is too much geography 
to leave time for such specific instruction, and as they 
become older it is a smattering of a dozen different sciences 
that prevents the same thing ; and as a consequence we 
send out ' the halt, the maimed and the blind ' with a mem- 
ory crammed with dates and facts concerning things of no 
practical value in their after every-day life, and a blissful 
{ wicked ) ignorance of the laws that govern their own 
being." 

What enthusiasm followed ! Honestly, I don't believe 
that one of us had ever once thought we were wasting time 



TIME WASTED. 

that did not belong to us by compelling the memorizing of 
whole pages of book after book — for as Miss Preston says 
" There are from three to six books in each series, and the 
young child is given the first book — learns it;— then gets 
another containing the same thing elaborated— learns it; 
then gets another and so continues term after term." 

Well, I ask you, in all sincerity, and earnestly hope for a 
satisfactory answer : what is the use of all this minutiae ? 
Would fewer details and more general information be bet- 
ter? Would parents appreciate the difference in expense, 
and "take stock" in the utility of substituting home train- 
ing for half the usual amount of time devoted to geography 
— or would they feel that Johnnie was being neglected by 
his teacher if he came home some night, eager to impart his 
newly acquired information that " I must not take my coat 
off after running or getting real warm, for my pores are all 
open then, and I would take cold "— even if he had not 
learned how many square miles there are in England — or 
some other place ( without any definite idea of what a square 
mile is ) or the height of some distant ^mountain, or the 
length of some unnavigable river ? 
Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



4 o PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. VIII. 

TEACHERS' EXAMINATIONS. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Nov. 15, 188-. 

Mr. •, State Supt. etc. 

My Dear Sir : — In these days we are looking forward to 
our teachers' meetings with feelings entirely different from 
those we used to experience. We are now sure of learning 
something that will be a help in our daily work, and no more 
time is wasted on dull statistics, nor on flights of rhetoric 
as useless as they are brilliant. I will tell you how another 
wonder has been accomplished by Miss Preston. I refer to 
the change effected in our annual examinations — -teachers' 
•examinations, I mean. 

It is not within the memory of the deponent when it hath 
not been the custom to " toot the horn " — that is, to give 
notice per daily paper — for the assembling of the teachers 
in the Town Hall for examination. Mr. Johnson is the 
conductor, and the members of the " Board " sit apart on 
the stage, grand and silent witnesses of the erudition of our 
learned Superintendent. To them he is the very embod- 
iment of knowledge, and I verily believe that at times he 
himself wonders — not that he knows so little, but how " one 
head can contain it all ! " 

Miss Preston came once last year, but "fired up" when 
Mr. Johnson handed her papers back to her marked " 992/' 
and asked very calmly : 



DEFECTS OF THE OLD WAY. 



41 



" How often is this required of us? " 

''Only once a year," he replied. 

" And what is its object ? " she pursued. 

"Why — why — it is a provision of the Board, for the 
purpose of seeing that all who have been appointed are 
qualified for their positions." 

" But how does this show whether they are or are not 
qualified ? " 

"Why, al] who fall below the average standard of 75 per 
cent are dismissed, and those who reach it are retained." 

" Who prepares the questions ? " 

" / do," said he testily, yet pompously ; " are they not all 
right?" 

" O, yes, certainly. They seem admirably adapted for the 
puzzle column of a variety newspaper, or as a basis for the 
game of Twenty Questions.' " 

" What do you mean, Miss Preston ? Please explain your 
criticism." 

" Simply this, then. The questions are not practical, are 
irrelevant and, as a rule, have no bearing on our daily work, 
either in theory or practice ; and hence they cannot be a 
criterion by which to judge of personal qualification ; and 
by adopting it you not only lose some good teachers, but 
must also retain some that are good for nothing but to 
repeat dates, facts and figures in a machine-like way, as a 
phonograph or a well drilled parrot may do." 

" For instance ? " 

" Well, for instance : you ask us to name the sovereigns of 
England chronologically. Good. This we should be able 
to do , but suppose that in the rush of earnest strife to learn 
the best methods of meeting the wants of our classes, that 



42 PRESTON PAPERS. 

item of history has been buried under the accumulation of 
things more important. Will its loss prevent us from 
explaining the use of capital letters and the decimal point, 
or will its possession be of any use in seeing that our school 
room is properly heated and ventilated? 

Again ; you call our attention to historical characters 
whose ashes long since helped fertilize the earth and vitiate 
the air, but you ignore the great topics of our own time and 
our own Government. You call for Latin declensions, and 
do not ask by what methods we are seeking to teach the 
Queen's English to those who must use it hundreds of times 
where they will use Latin once. You do not ask how, as 
individuals, we teach one topic, nor by what means we pro- 
mote the personal interests of our pupils. 

What difference will it make to our Board of Education 
though I can solve every problem in Euclid, and yet have 
no solution of the greater one : ' How can I best govern 
that headstrong boy of twelve, or that impertinent miss of 
fourteen?' Would not a more complete demonstration of 
my fitness for my special position be shown if I am called 
upon to specify the needs of my own school, and asked to 
prove that I could adapt myself to their supply, rather than 
by a mechanical repetition of Kepler's Three Laws, or by a 
familiar acquaintance with the most abstruse topic in men- 
tal philosophy? We are dealing with boys and girls, the 
every day material whose product is men and women. The 
minds we seek to educate, to guide, are immature, unformed 
— not to be treated like that of a profound scientist or well 
drilled philosopher." 

"Possibly you can suggest a better plan. Let me hear 
you." 



THE BEST METHOD. 



43 



" In the first place, then, a conscientious teacher needs no 
such stimulus to keep pace with the times. Her school, 
with its great and varied needs, will be uppermost in her 
thoughts, and her powers v/ill be concentrated in the con- 
stant effort to do her entire duty by it. All other occupa- 
tions, aims and ambitions will be of secondary importance 
and made subservient to it. 

Second, a visit to the school is the best examination patron, 
trustee, or superintendent can give a teacher. There the 
work will speak for itself, and by that alone should a teacher 
be commended or condemned. And again; if there must be 
examinations, let them be confined almost exclusively to the 
work before us." 

" Why, that would involve an examination of teachers 
from each grade separately." 

"Certainly; why not? Professor Lowell is teaching 
mathematics only, and that to young men and women of 
mature minds. His examination should be far different 
from that of my assistant here, who is dealing with child- 
hood and elementary studies. Radicals, Cube Root and 
the Metric System have positively no business in her depart- 
ment ; so why not let her devote all her time and energy to 
bringing her own work to perfection ? If we want the latest 
publications we do not look for them in a hardware store, 
nor do we visit a lawyer's office to see the newest fashion 
plates. We are more consistent in nearly everything per- 
taining to our every day life than in that which concerns 
our schools and teachers." 

She is too much for him every time, and I guess she's 
right generally, although at first I had my doubts. But our 
" civil service reform " has begun in earnest, and now we 



44 PRESTON PAPERS. 

are having better evidence of the eternal fitness of each 
teacher for his or her special department. No senseless 
cramming, in view of the much dreaded examination on 
topics entirely foreign to our work, but study — healthy 
study — to adapt the means at hand to the end in view, and 
more thoughtful, earnest work among us all. 

Perfection is not yet attained. There is still too much 
machine work, putting the pupils at the upper end of an 
inclined plane, giving a push and setting them going ; but, 
Mr. Superintendent, we are trying, we do care and are hop- 
ing for good results from our united efforts. 

More anon from 

Yours Very Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



REASONS FOR. 45 



No. IX. 

PRIZE GIVING. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Dec. 20, 188- 
Mr. , Supt., etc. 

My Dear Sir : — We had long ago decided to give up our 
November meeting to the discussion of prize giving, and 
we did so to our mutual profit. Mr Johnson occupied the 
chair, and we each spoke as the spirit moved us. Miss Wells 
threw down the gauntlet by rising and saying with a flash : 

" I believe in giving prizes, because it stimulates the chil- 
dren to do their very best, and renders urging unnecessary. 
Then, too, it gives the school something to work for." 

" I am not so sure," said Miss Preston, " that the reasons 
you urge in its favor are not the very ones why it is injuri- 
ous. It does stimulate the children, surely; that is, a certain 
portion of them; others it discourages, perhaps the very 
ones, too, who need the most encouragement but who are 
disheartened from the outset by the idea that a prize is to 
be given ; only one or two can get it, and there are dozens 
in school who are more likely than themselves to merit it, 
and therefore there is no use in their trying. And by calling 
it 'giving the school something to work for,' we dress in very 
pretty words a painful fact ; for, in nine cases out of ten, 
the prize itself becomes the object for which they strive, 
forgetful of better purposes." 



46 PRESTON PAPERS. 

Mr. Lowell arose as Miss Preston resumed her seat, and 
said : 

" I am surprised. I supposed Miss Preston was a firm 
believer in the doctrine of rewards and punishments. I 
have heard her argue something fully as orthodox in princi- 
ple as prize giving. I adhere to it, because it is less trouble 
than to manage any other way. I offer the prize, on such 
and such conditions, and have no further responsibility as 
to who wins or loses. It is their own lookout." 

"Yes," said Miss Preston indignantly; "we are always 
ready to shirk our responsibilities, even in so comparatively 
small matters as this. But can we? Will we not be held 
responsible, in a measure at least, for the feelings of envy, 
discontent, and discord that are fostered and cultivated by 
our action in this ? I do believe in judicious rewards and 
punishments, but not in indiscriminate ones. I would not 
hold out to a school as an inducement to do well any thing 
that could not be shared by all." 

Mr. Johnson began to look interested. " How then would 
you manage ? You could not very well give prizes to all. 
Your salary would be insufficient." 

Miss Preston laughed. " I am not afraid of going to the 
poor-house, because of the little I might spend in giving 
my school a simple pleasure; and ways enough will suggest 
themselves to every teacher whose heart is in the work." 

"Please be specific, Miss Preston," said Miss Wood, "for 
I have been in the habit of giving prizes every year, and 
have become somewhat dissatisfied with the general results. 
If there is any better way I want it." 

"Any way seems 'better' to me than one which draws 
comparisons, however indirectly, as this method does. It has 



HOW PRIZES ARE WON. 47 

the effect of making the successful (if I may use that adjec- 
tive in this connection) child vain of its own attainments, by- 
being the recipient not only of the prize but of the remarks 
and notice which follow — and as a rule a prize winner 
becomes self-satisfied and self-sufficient to such a degree 
as almost to preclude better influences, even sometimes 
causing a cessation from further effort ; and the others are 
needlessly made jealous of the successful child or painfully 
morbid concerning their own stupidity, when in fact they 
may not be nearly as dull as the one who received the prize; 
or when, as happens in many instances, those who do not get 
the reward only lose it because they are more conscientious. 
For instance : I offer a prize to my arithmetic class, to be 
given to the one who has the most perfect lessons. Fanny 
is glib, and has a memory which assists in perfect recita- 
tions, together with an easy conscience which permits her 
to answer ' Perfect ' at roll call if she has not missed any 
question, although she knew that she would miss if certain 
other questions had been asked. George, in the same class 
is somewhat slow of speech, perhaps slow to understand, 
but industrious and faithful. Then too, ' perfect ' has a 
fullness of meaning for him that has never entered into the 
heart of Fanny ; and, although he has spent more real 
work on the lesson than she, he is too conscientious to say 
' Perfect ' even if he has answered every question that was 
given him. He is not content, with his superficial knowl- 
edge of the lesson, to call it perfect, even for the sake of the 
prize which he must see pass into the hands of one whom he 
knows is no more deserving than himself." 

" You do not think, then, that a teacher will gain the love 
of his pupils in this way? " queried Mr. Johnson. 



4 8 



PRESTON PAPERS. 



"Certainly not. Do you necessarily love the one who 
pays what is justly your due ? By no means. If you make 
a coat or boots, a chair or machine for a person, you earn 
your pay j but it does not follow that you have any affection 
for the one who offers so much for so much. So children 
who get prizes receive them as their honest due, if hon- 
estly gained; and the giver has little or no place in their 
consideration. 

Besides, I do not think it wise to inculcate a belief that 
a child should be paid for doing his best. It lowers the 
standard of 'Right for right's sake,' and gives the impression 
that right is the exception, wrong the rule." 

" And what would you offer in place of prize giving ? " 

" Free communion and association between teachers and 
pupils. I would gain their love and sympathy by entering 
into their duties and pastimes outside of school. I would 
show myself their friend, by my interest in their individual 
selves, not only at school during sti/dy hours and in their 
classes ; but on the play-ground, at recess, at home, on the 
street, everywhere." 

Much more was said, pro and con, but I shall leave it to 
report some other time, for I want to tell you how Miss 
Preston manages, as she is too modest to even speak of her 
own peculiar methods, even in our Association. She doesn't 
give prizes, but she does give pleasure ; pleasures that fall 
"alike upon the just and unjust " and forever prevent any 
criticism for showing partiality. The only distinction she 
ever makes is to give special attention to the poor, the 
repulsive, the most disagreeable ones — those who are the 
most friendless, by reason of their condition or conduct. 
But how ? Well, for instance, last year there was an unusual 



CHRISTMAS PLANS. 



49 



number of poor children in our ward, which is largely settled 
by a foreign population — many of them day laborers, and 
some of them even worse than that, having no steady em- 
ployment, and some miserable drunkards. As the holidays 
approached and we were all busy talking over our plans for 
Christmas, Miss Preston said to me one day : " I would like 
to do something for my school for Christmas. Many of 
them will not have a thing to make the day memorable; and 
some of them I'm afraid will suffer from cold and hunger." 

''What is your plan? I'd like to help" — for by that 
time I had begun to appreciate her and to care more for 
my classes. 

" Come home with me to-night," said she, " and we will 
talk it over." I did. On the way she stopped at a confec- 
tioner's and ordered twenty-five pounds of candy, assorted, 
pure, and of the best quality. Next she bought a large 
basket of corn to pop and she engaged a big boy whom she 
saw on one of the street corners to do the work for her. 
After tea, I helped her put the candy into white paper cor- 
nucopias, which we rolled up; seventy-five of them, one for 
each child. 

The day that school was to close for our week's vacation, 
she asked the children if they knew what anniversary would 
be celebrated the following Sunday, and after a little talk 
she read a Christmas poem to them, and I read a Christmas 
story. A knock at the door was answered by her, and old 
Santa Claus himself came in, bearing a huge basket on each 
arm. He was invited to a place on the stage, from whence 
he informed the wondering children that he visited them by 
request of their teachers, etc., etc. 

I can not picture the enthusiasm that prevailed; nor can 
4 



5 o PRESTON PAPERS. 

any one say where the influence of her happy thought will 
end, for, as each boy and girl received a package of candy 
and a dish of pop corn, there was no jealousy, no bitter 
feelings of strife or envy — nothing but pure love, such as is 
felt by the Christ whose birth is celebrated each returning 
year. I do not know which was the happier, teacher or 
pupils. I only know that she makes the most of her oppor- 
tunities to do them good. She goes on little fishing, nutting, 
and flower-hunting excursions with them, and each of these 
she makes an occasion for instruction of some sort; and I 
know that many a boy is indebted to her for his real polite- 
ness of manner, and many a girl owes to her her pleasant 
recognition of the small courtesies of life. Two or three 
weeks since, when we had our first fall of snow, she hired 
horses, drivers, and long sleighs enough to take her entire 
school, including myself and classes, for an afternoon's ride. 

Do these things pay ? Yes, she is paid every day, by the 
progress of her school — by their devotion to her, and by 
their higher moral standard ; for her character has not been 
without its effect on their moral perceptions. 

There is much more of which I would like to tell you, but 
have not time. One thought, however, comes to me more and 
more frequently, Why are not more teachers like her ? Why 
am I not ? ( Rather why was I not, for by association with 
her so long I am taking on some of her methods, although 
I can never hope to attain to her hight. ) Why did I never 
think of these things before ? Why were not my own teach- 
ers of this sort? Is she a rara avis? If so, why? 
Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



PESTALOZZVS LAWS. 51 



No. X. 

NUMBER. 

Oldtown, N. Y., January 16, 188- 
Mr. , State Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Dear Sir : — I am glad that some one wants to know 
how Primary Arithmetic should be taught, as that is just 
what interested us at our Teachers' Meeting in December. 
We are actually learning how to teach. 

I will not give all the old stereotyped " methods " ad- 
vanced by some of our number, as all gave way before Miss 
Preston's better ones. Mr. Johnson had seen one of the 
trustees where she taught several years ago, and had been 
told by him that she was the most successful teacher of pri- 
mary studies they had ever known ; and this gave Mr. John- 
son an excuse for calling her out. He is really waking up 
to her great value, and seems to depend upon her sugges- 
tions. His questions elicited something like the following : 

" Our first object should be to get down to the child. It is 
a long step from their plane of vision to ours, and we should 
so express ourselves as to be at once understood by the lit- 
tle ones. Then we will follow Pestalozzi's laws ' From the 
concrete to the abstract ; from the known to the unknown ; 
from the simple to the compound,' and we shall have no 
trouble in teaching Primary Arithmetic, nor anything else.' 



5 2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

A chorus of voices clamored for illustrations, and after 
some hesitation she continued : 

" Of course the first thing to be done is to teach them to 
count. This should be done concretely — never abstractly 
at first. We may begin asking how many hands each one 
has ; how many feet, eyes, ears, noses, tongues, fingers, 
thumbs, etc. Then lines may be drawn upon the board, 
and they may count them as the teacher points to them, 
never allowing them to count more than the lines shown, 
nor faster than pointed out. This will give them instinc- 
tively, an idea of the relative worth of numbers — a very 
important item. Afterwards they may be allowed to count 
abstractly, and then drilled on the relative value of numbers 
by the teacher writing 8, 4, 3, etc. on the board ; each time 
that two numbers are put thereon, asking them to tell which 
is of the greater value, and which the lesser. After a short 
time, they may call out when the teacher pronounces two 
numbers as, 12, 7. These exercises should always go back- 
ward also. For instance, when they have learned by the 
use of apples, pencils, fingers, beans, or stones to count 
four, they should be taught in the same way, by use of the 
same means, to count from four to one. Be very sure not 
to count from one to ten with apples, and then from ten 
backwards with something else. Use the same thing for 
each process, to prevent any confusion in the children's mind. 
After they have learned to count any number, and can dis- 
tinguish the figure or figures that represent it, they may be 
taught to write the number themselves. For instance, I 
hold up three crayons ; * How many crayons have I ? ' 
'Three crayons.' (Always insist on a complete answer. If 
they say * Three,' in response to your question, you may ask 



TEA CHING ADDITION, ETC. 53 

' Three what ? Three cents ? ' and after a few illustrations 
of this kind they will get into the way of complete replies.) 
' Very well, I will make the number on the blackboard and 
you may make it on your slates, You may each make three 
3s, and John may go to the board and make his. Next 
time some one else may go.' How eager they will be, and 
how deeply interested ! Dry and dull ? Tired ? Don't like 
to go to school ? Hate numbers ? No ; these things you 
need never hear. Having learned to count, to read and 
write small numbers readily, I would teach addition, sub- 
traction, multiplication and division of those numbers to- 
gether." 

" Why, Miss Preston ! What a dreadful dose that would 
be," said Mr. Johnson. 

" Not at all ! ,1 she replied with a smile. " I would not 
give a child a book with the ' table ' of 8s, for instance, and 
compel him to learn ' 1 and 8 is 9 ; 2 and 8 is 10 ; 3 from 8- 
leaves 5 ; 6 times 8 is 48 ; 2 is contained in 8 4 times.' 
That would be a dose. So is any ' table ' of abstract figures. 
All a child's early instruction should come through some 
bodily sense ; hence, I would take the seeds, apples, stones. 
or what not that we had been using, and select eight as they 
counted them. ' Now let us see what we can do with these 
eight apples.' Let them count, say two more from the gen- 
eral pile, and put them with the eight already counted. 
' Now you may count them all.' This done, they have 
found for themselves the truth that '8 and 2 is 10.' It is a. 
grand thing for them. Their eyes sparkle, and they are 
hungry for more. You may put the fact into form for them 
on the board, while they copy the same on their slates. 
Now, removing the surplus, two apples from the eight* 



54 PRESTON PAPERS. 

we will see what counting backwards from eight will do for 
us. ' Here we have the same eight apples. As you count I 
will take away two. We call this subtraction, because it 
means taking away. How many apples have we left ? ' 
Write on the board in the same manner as before and let 
the little ones follow on their slates, inspecting their work, 
giving hints as to size and shape of figures, use of signs, 
general appearance, neatness, etc. They have now learned 
that ' 2 from 8 leaves six,' therefore ' 2 and 6 must be 8 ; and 
only half the time has been used that would have been in 
the old way. Go right on with the same general form for 
multiplication and division, using two and eight as the num- 
bers with which to work. One caution may be necessary 
right here : you may become so interested and enthusiastic 
yourself as to forget the wonderful smallness of the minds 
with which you are dealing, and give them too much at a 
time. Be very careful about this. Do not sacrifice quality 
to quantity. Let the lessons be short and frequent, and the 
progress will be rapid and satisfactory." 

Verily, she was that moment a living exposition of her 
own words, for she sat down tired out, and each of her lis- 
teners had that tense, strained look of overwrought minds ! 
It was like a new revelation to us ! Teach in that way, with 
our whole soul and strength and mind and might? Teach 
without books, without the old ease of announcing a lesson, 
hearing it "recited," and then dismissing it without a fur- 
ther thought ? Why, the perfect mastery of that one sub- 
ject and the method of presenting it to the juvenile mind 
must have involved hours of patient study, such as we had 
never dreamed of giving to anything so commonplace ! 
We did not wonder that she grew thin over her work, for 



PROMOTION. 55 

she put her very life into it. Nor did we wonder again that 
she was always spoken of as a "grand success! " nor that 
she commands a salary and is constantly promoted, while 
others are left to drone, dream and drudge over their work. 
We have so many topics on hand for discussion that we 
contemplate semi-monthly meetings. But, I must close, for 
I want to read my new "Educational Report," so kindly 
sent by you, and see what I can there find for my school. 
Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



^6 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XL 
PRIMARY ARITHMETIC. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Feb. 22, 188- 
Mr. Superintendent : 

Since the subject of Arithmetic has been proposed for 
elucidation, and I have already given you a general idea of 
how Miss Preston starts the little ones up this " Hill Diffi- 
culty," it may be well for me to go on and tell you how the 
light from her lamp shone on my path and helped me over 
an otherwise trying place. It was when I first knew her, 
and before I had gained any confidence in her methods of 
teaching. I had taught so long, and in the old, stereotyped 
way, that I did my work mechanically and frowned upon 
innovations as upon a personal infringement. She came to 
the door of the recitation room one afternoon to invite me 
to take a walk. She's a rare pedestrian and makes it a daily 
exercise, generally walking several miles. I am getting in 
the way of it myself now, although at that time I had not 
realized its wonderful benefits as I have since. That day I 
was tired and cross, and had kept a little boy from one of 
the beginning classes after school, because he had failed to 
get his examples ; and to his assurances that he did not 
understand them, I only vouchsafed the calm suggestion 
that he "must be very dull." 

I would not " offend one of these little ones " by such ar 



ILL USTRA TIONS. 5 ; 

answer to their appeal for help to-day, but I was completely 
oblivious then to everything except the sense of drudgery 
which my work imposed upon me. I did not offer him any 
assistance, but cut the leaves of "A Reverend Idol" and 
coldly read while he pored over his book. 

After waiting a few moments Miss Preston asked if she 
might speak with Henry, and I gave her an ungracious 
u Certainly." She ignored my manner, and sitting down at 
Henry's desk, talked with him something like the following : 

Miss Preston. Are your examples very hard to-day ? 

Henry. They are not very hard, I guess, for the other 
boys all had them. 

Miss P. Do you understand them? 

H. No, ma'am ; not when I have to take 8 from 3. I can 
do the other kind well enough, taking 3 from 8, and such, 
but I don't see how I can take 8 from 3. 

Miss P. Ah, yes. I see your trouble. Now please hand 
me that tin cup by the water pail. I thank you. I want a 
drink from it, but I see that it is empty. What shall I do ? 
I am very thirsty; but I cannot drink from an empty cup 
nor from one that has only three drops in it, for I need much 
more to quench my thirst. 

H. ( With animation. ) Why, I can get some for you 
from the pail. 

Miss P. But suppose the pail is empty ? 

II. Why then I would go to the faucet down in the base 
ment, and get a pailful. 

Miss P. That wouldn't do any good. I only want a 
cupful. 

H. Well, I can bring you a cupful from the pail, when it 
is full ! 



5 8 PRESTON PAPERS. 

Miss P. Just so. Now let us see if we can not do the 
same in your example. You can't take 8 from 3 ; but per- 
haps we can go to the pail and fill our cup. Ah, no. Our 
next figure is a cipher. Our pail is empty. What shall we 
do ? Go to the faucet of course, fill our pail and come back. 
Beyond our cipher stands a 4 on purpose for us to use. 
Now, if I take one of these hundreds, how many tens is it 
worth ? 

H. Why, ten tens. 

Miss P. Good. Now instead of the cipher we have 10. 
We can fill the cup from the pail. So now we will take one 
of these tens ( equal to ten units ) and add it to the three 
units we already have, giving us 13 units. Now can you 
take 8 from 13? 

H. Oh, yes, and it leaves 5. Why isn't that funny ! It's 
just like a poor man without money, begging from some one 
with a pocketful. 

Miss P. Just so. Now you have 3 to take from 9 where 
your cipher stood. 

H. And it leaves 6 ! 

Miss P. Now here is our 4, with a 2 below it. What 
will you do ? 

H. Why (after some meditation), 4 gave away part of his. 

Miss P. Yes. How much has he left ? 

H. Why, 3. So we can say " 2 from 3." 

Miss P. Do you think you "see through " it now ? 

H. (With great enthusiasm.) Why, yes, ma'am. I can't 
help getting my examples now. 

Which was true. And / couldn't help catching the fire, 
nor have I been able to keep out of it since. When we 
came to fractions she showed me how to illustrate the value 



ENTHUSIASM AND ORDER. 59 

of numerator and denominator by things visible, apples, 
oranges, etc., until the facts were so plain I began to think 
I had never before half comprehended them, myself. 

So with compound numbers. Under her advice I bor- 
rowed a set of gill, pint, quart, and gallon cups at the hard- 
ware store and let the children learn for themselves the 
relative value of each measure, and then construct their own 
tables, backward as well as forward. For instance: we first 
filled the gallon measure and found it would fill the quart 
cup four times, so " i gallon makes 4 quarts; 4 quarts make 
1 gallon." 

Actually, I borrowed small scales after that, and taught 
them to weigh, using sand, which Miss Preston calls " clean 
dirt." 

So with everything — long, square, and cubic measure set 
them all to buying the penny tape measures, and finding the 
length, hight, and width, of everything in and around the 
school house and yard. And I was nearly as enthusiastic 
as they, and by practicing became expert enough to esti- 
mate the size of anything with a degree of accuracy hitherto 
unknown. 

Order ? No, I do not think my recitations were con- 
ducted with as good order ( in the common acceptation of 
the word) as before — but the pupils learned, and have been 
learning ever since, until I have come to believe that the 
fairy " Order" has been grossly misrepresented, as a tyrant 
to whom it was necessary to sacrifice everything else. The 
order that prevails in my school now is of a far different 
(and I hope better) type than that which formerly compelled 
my pupils to sit in a stated position, and if called upon to 
recite to do it in one special way and in no other. 



6 PRESTON PAPERS. 

One more illustration of Miss Preston's genius in teaching 
arithmetic, and I will close. One of the teachers came to 
her the other day after our Association meeting, and said : 

" Miss Preston, you spoke of having the children count 
backward as well as forward. Will you kindly illustrate ? " 

" With pleasure ; " and turning right around to the black- 
board she drew a flight of stairs in outline, placing a cipher 
on the lowest, a figure i on the next, 2 on the next, and so 
up to 10. All in less time than it takes to write it, she had 
continued : 

"From o to 10 I call 'going up stairs;' from 10 to o 
'going down stairs.' It is a favorite illustration because 
simple, quick, and a pleasing conceit for the children ; and 
they certainly learn to add, subtract, multiply, and divide 
numbers more quickly and with more intelligence by means 
of some such thing, than abstractly." 

As they progress, she takes other numbers ; for instance 
the stairs will be filled with 2 and its multiples — or 3, 4, 5, 10, 
12, according to the previous development. The orders of 
units she illustrates by bundles of sticks, similar to matches 
in shape and size ; ten in a bundle to represent units ; ten 
bundles to represent tens, etc. She has " faculty ; " and 
no matter what she teaches, she does so from the child's 
standpoint. 

Oh, I want to tell you about her methods in teaching 
grammar, but cannot now. 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



DREAD OF THE WORD. 61 



No. XII. 

COMPOSITIONS. 

Oldtown, N. Y., March 16, i83-. 
State Superintendent : 

My Dear Sir : — Yes, sir ; our February meeting discussed 
" Compositions," as you suggested, Mr. Johnson presiding. 
Mr. Lowell spoke first, and with more energy than I had 
ever before seen him exhibit : 

" I hate the word, and dread composition day even more 
than my pupils do, if that is possible." 

Miss Preston laughed softly, and then inquired if under 
those circumstances he was successful in obtaining good 
compositions ? 

" O, fair," he replied, " I think they are about as composi- 
tions average. I do not see the sense, myself, in insisting 
upon boys and girls writing compositions, when they have 
not half a dozen ideas among the whole class ; and I have 
more than once petitioned that the subject be dropped from 
the course of study in my department." 

" May I inquire about the method you use ? " 

" Certainly. In the first place I require one from each 
pupil every month. That gives me all the trouble I want 
with them, for it is like pulling eye-teeth to get a decent 
composition from some of them." 

" Do they select their own subjecls? " 



02 PRESTON PAPERS. 

" No, I tried that, but found it did not work satisfactorily. 
Nearly all were troubled to think of a subject, or what to 
say about it when they did." 

" Who reads them? " 

" Each one reads his own. I give them half an hour in 
which to write, and they spend the rest of the time in read- 
ing what they have written." 

" And who corrects them ? " 

" Oh, we are none of us critical enough for that. It is 
hard enough to get the writing done in the first place, with- 
out worrying about it afterward." 

"Just my mind," chimed in Miss Wood. "And I do 
not fancy trying to turn my school room into a shop for 
making poets and essayists. It involves more friction than 
anything else in my school, except my constant warfare on 
whispering." 

Oh, how I longed to hear Miss Preston speak ! Why our 
composition days are a real treat to us ; and as for making 
drudgery of it — well, it is a pleasure. But Miss Wells was 
the next speaker. 

" I think it is a good thing, myself, although I am not very 
successful in that line." 

"How do you manage ?" queried Mr. Johnson. 

" Oh, Wednesday of each week is our ' Composition 
Day,' and I have a certain space on the blackboard where 
the subject is found written out for each week. I call for 
not less than about five hundred words, and impose a pen- 
alty for remissness." 

Then Miss Preston inquired : " What is the usual style of 
your tropics ? " 

" Last week we had ' The Pleasures of Memory,' and the 



WRONG METHODS. 



63 



week before ' The Advantages of Education.' Next week 
we are to have ' Ambition.' " 

" Do they do their own work ? " 

"What do you mean by that ? " 

"I mean," said Miss Preston, slowly, "do they write out 
their own ideas of these abstractions, or do they merely copy 
the sentiments of some one else ? " 

" Oh, as to that, they undoubtedly get all the help they 
can from their friends. Indeed, I have known them to copy 
an article verbatim from print; but I am not bound to con- 
vict them without proof positive of their guilt, and in nine 
cases out of ten I cannot furnish this — even if morally cer- 
tain that the articles are not their own." 

" Then what is the object of the exercise ? We only gain 
power by putting forth power, and if that is not done the 
object of writing compositions is lost." 

" I have never entered into the question of effect in my 
plans for pupils," said Miss Wells, " but if any one can sug- 
gest an improvement on my way I am open to conviction." 

Mr. Johnson looked doubtfully toward Miss Preston, and 
with some hesitation said : " Perhaps Miss Preston will help 
us out." 

" I am not sure that I can," she replied with a smile ; 
" but my impression is that we invest the exercise with too 
much formality. In the first place we select subjects en- 
tirely beyond the range of an ordinary child's thought, and 
then insist upon a set number of lines or words and say, 
'Write.' By this we induce them to hate the work, and to 
cheat themselves by avoiding it; or, almost as bad, we permit 
them to write in a style entirely foreign to themselves, and 
one which is injurious in its effect on their habits of writing." 



6 4 



PRESTON PAPERS. 



" How can we avoid these serious results ? " queried our 
superintendent. 

" You may well call them serious, and we must study how 
to avoid them. I do not think I have any set method ; rather 
let the occasion make the method. For instance, if my his- 
tory class has had a lesson of unusual interest or value, and 
I wish to impress it upon the minds of my pupils, I ask them 
to put their thoughts of the person, place or circumstance 
into words of their own. Sometimes they use their slates, 
sometimes the blackboard, and frequently it is an oral exer- 
cise. Then if I find it desirable to be more elaborate I ask 
them to copy them on paper, and after looking over and 
correcting them, I select one or more to be read in public at 
our next reception, and perhaps some will be requested for 
our weekly paper. So with my other classes. If my arith- 
metic class has surmounted a difficulty, it is easy for them 
to write of their struggle and of the victory gained. Some- 
times the current events furnish better topics than anything 
else could ; for instance, Garfield's assassination and death 
filled every pupil in my school at that time with unlimited 
food for thought. The recent floods in Pennsylvania have 
also been prolific of topics ; the distress they have caused, 
the damage done, etc., etc. The great fire at Seattle and 
the Quebec disaster were equally useful in supplying themes 
for the juvenile pens. The unexpected results of the No- 
vember election brought out political and temperance com- 
positions by the score. I seldom give them an abstract 
subject — never without first preparing them for it by a 
familiar talk with them concerning the thing to be dis- 
cussed, and I sometimes find it necessary to give them sev- 
eral days in which to look it up. Sometimes I read them a 



NOT A BUGBEAR. 65 

short story or poem, and call for a paraphrase ; but under 
all circumstances I would first seek to inspire them with 
interest and enthusiasm, and this done there is no trouble 
in securing ideas or the expression of them. My work is 
then to give them hints as to style, rules for capitalizing, etc." 

Trouble in securing ideas, or their expression ! I should 
think not, indeed ! Why the one or two whose productions 
are selected for public reading are so highly honored by the 
distinction thus conferred upon them that each one strives 
to do his best. Then Miss Preston keeps a big drawer, on 
purpose for all the compositions that are given her by her 
pupils after she has corrected, and they copied, signed and 
dated them. For convenience, they are spread out in the 
covers of an old geography and are supposed to be free to 
exhibit to visitors who want to know how the school pros- 
pers; or they can be used for public or private rhetorical 
exercises, or for whatever purpose she deems best. 

Miss Preston does not make a bugbear of the work, as 
most of it is voluntary ; and if she assigns a topic to anyone, 
or to a class, it is because of their peculiar fitness for the 
theme, and their interest in it. She has been requested to 
bring some samples to our next meeting, and I know of sev- 
eral fine historical essays produced by her pupils last term, 
which I hope she will take. 

But I must leave this interesting subject; and perhaps I 
can tell you more after our next meeting. 
Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 
5 



66 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XIII. 

MANAGEMENT. 

Oldtown, N. Y., April 4, 188- 
My Dear Superintendent : 

I think I must go away back to our January meeting, and 
take up a back stitch that proved valuable in our work, and 
which may help some half-discouraged teacher among your 
forces. 

Mr. Johnson had previously announced that we would 
make a special study on that day of " How shall I best 
promote the interests of my school ? " and requested us to 
give the subject our careful attention, and then bring to our 
Association a written answer to the query, supplemented by 
a brief statement of the reason why we thought that the true 
method. ( You will observe that the tone of our meetings is 
somewhat more elevated than when they were merely places 
for reading statistics. Some thanks are due to you, for your 
talks and suggestions, as well as much, very much, to Miss 
Preston.) 

Well, we were interested in studying out why we had 
succeeded, if we had, and the cause of failure if the best 
interests of our school had not been promoted by us; and at 
the appointed hour not one was "among the missing." A 
hat was passed for the literary contributions, which were 



THE KEY NOTE. 67 

then read by the collector, and I herewith append a hasty- 
synopsis of a few of the more characteristic ones. 

" By strict discipline. 

We are all rebels by nature, and once the law is not enforced, disorder 
prevails : the greatest obstacle to the best interest of any school." 

We were somewhat surprised afterward to learn that this 
came from Mr. Lowell, noted as he is for his want of 
discipline. 

" By maintaining our dignity. 

This is preeminently the age and nation for hero worship. In the mind 
of the average child no one holds a higher place than his teacher, and if 
we succeed we must not allow 'familiarity' to ' breed contempt.' " 

Another instance where theory and practice do not go 
hand in hand, for this came from one of our young lady 
teachers, who never understood the first principles of true 
dignity. Is it always so ? Do we base our ideal theories 
upon what we feel that we lack in ourselves ? 

" By enforcing our rules. 

Laws that are not maintained by penalties for their non-observance are 
mere nullities. Every school is a miniature kingdom, of which the 
teacher is ruler, and the pupils subjects, nolens volens." 

A lively discussion followed this proposition, during which 
it was decided that in too many of the miniature kingdoms 
there are tyrants for rulers ; that tyrants incite to rebellion ; 
and that sugar plums may be as effective in some cases as 
cannon balls. 

" By securing the cooperation of parents, pupils, and trustees with the 
teacher. 

In union we find strength ; in division weakness. If the elements are 
harmonized the whole will be symmetrical ; but if the parts cannot be 
made to join, the superstructure is unsafe." 

We recognized the personality of this key note, and all our 



68 PRESTON PAPERS. 

hearts responded to the sound of its music. Miss Preston 
was called upon to illustrate her meaning, which she did 
somewhat as follows : 

" Perhaps I can best explain my idea by relating an expe- 
rience of ten or twelve years since. I was young and a 

stranger to everyone in the little Village of M , when I 

accepted a position there as teacher in the primary depart- 
ment of their Union School. The principal of the school 
was a middle aged man of dead ideas, always wearing an 
apologetic expression and seldom speaking of his school or 
patrons, except to whine at their indifference or to prophesy 
something dismal of the future. He pitied me for my 
enthusiasm when I proposed during the first month to invite 
the parents to visit my school. Said he : 

1 Why I have taught here nine years, and in all that time 
only six of the parents have opened the door; and they did 
it only to find fault with me for something I had done or 
left undone.' 

' And do the trustees never come in ? ' I asked. 

' Yes, when I send for them to substantiate my claim in 
some way. On any other occasion they send Mr. Hubbard, 
their secretary, to see if anything is needed; and as he is 
timid (?) he walks around outside of the building, and I'm 
not aware of his presence until his little dog comes bounding 
and barking into the hall, making the children titter. Then 
I know that his master is not far off and I hunt him up after 
school closes and have a talk with him.' 

I confess it looked rather dubious, but I wrote letters of 
invitation to each of the trustees, and two for each pupil — 
one to be given to his parents, the other to his best friend, 
one hundred twenty in all. Then I called for volunteers 



COOP ERA TION. 69 

among the pupils to help entertain their friends with music, 
recitations, readings, etc., and every child took a part" 

" Did you succeed in getting any one out to your recep- 
tion ? " queried Mr. Johnson, with interest. 

"Why, yes. The room was crowded." 

"What was the form of your invitation?" asked Miss 
Wells, greatly interested. 

" Oh, about the same as any 'At Home ' on a society card." 

" Had you met most of the parents before ? " 

" Oh, no. But I think a teacher ought not always to wait 
for the parents to take the initial step toward an acquaint- 
ance that must be a mutual benefit. To be sure it is pleas- 
anter for us when they do so, but so many things hinder busy 
people from starting ; yet they would be more than glad to 
meet us half way. The surest way to any parent's heart is 
through their children ; and they will always be inclined to 
assist those who take an interest in the juveniles." 

" But how did you manage the trustees ? " again asked our 
superintendent. 

" Easily. I simply changed the form of the card, and 
hinted that the prosperity of our school was due largely to 
their financiering, and that it depended somewhat upon their 
interest in its everyday matters." 

Let me tell you how else she manages to secure the coope- 
ration of parents. She calls on every one of her pupils every 
year, sometimes oftener. None are so poor or so wretched 
as to merit her neglect — none so far away that she will not 
go to them. And no child is ever absent from school two 
days in succession without an extra call from her. If she 
finds them sick, she ministers to them ; badly clothed she 
institutes work by which they can help themselves to better; 



7o PRESTON PAPERS. 

indifferent about attendance, this call is sure to rouse them; 
and the gratitude of the parents is visible in their love for 
her, and in their interest in her success. She gains them all, 
without an effort. No, not without an effort; not without a 
sacrifice of personal comfort, leisure, society, strength. But 
her success is compensatory for all these. Her pupils, their 
parents, the trustees, are her firm allies now, and will remain 
her life-long friends. O, I could tell you of so many of 
her ways for securing this cooperation that results in such 
mutual benefit — little in themselves, mayhap, but aggrega- 
ting grandly. Space and time forbid further particulars at 
present, however. 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



A TEACHER'S OPPORTUNITIES. 



n 



No. XIV. 

ENVIRONMENT. 

Oldtown, N. Y., June i, 188- 
Mr. , State Supt. of Public Instruction. 

My Dear Sir : — I believe I have never told you how- 
Miss Preston got the school yard cleared up and beautified 
last Spring. As it required so little effort on her part and 
yet resulted in so much good (not only to our school but to 
individuals outside whom I feel sure she reached uninten- 
tionally), I will give you a brief outline. If any one has 
better or more numerous opportunities than another to 
exercise a missionary spirit, that one is the public school 
teacher. He has access to at least as many homes as there 
are representatives in the school ; and in each of these 
homes the teacher may be a power for the good, the truer 
the beautiful. I have only recently learned to think of 
these things, and now my attention to it is entirely due to 
Miss'Preston's influence and to your talks and letters. If she 
has not entirely revolutionized our dull old city, she has at 
least worked wonders in it in some directions. But I will 
not stop to moralize, as a plain statement of the facts and 
her manner of dealing with them will suggest the simple 
"How" to other teachers. 

The yard is large and well shaded, but has never been 
kept clean until within the last two years — the leaves of 



72 PRESTON PAPERS. 

Autumn serving as decoration for Spring. The ashes and 
cinders from the basement beautified one side of the yard, 
while a pile of kindling ornamented the other. These 
received some valuable auxiliaries in the shape of waste 
papers, thrown from every window, remains of lunches 
(bread crusts, apple cores, orange peel, etc.), with now and 
then a stray rubber by way of variety. 

Of course the papers gradually disappeared after the 
advent of the waste paper basket, mentioned in a former 
letter ; but this did not diminish the ash heap nor render 
the other things invisible. After a time Miss Preston per- 
suaded those who brought their dinners to save the pieces 
usually thrown away, in a newspaper she provided ; and she 
sent them by one of the big boys to a poor family living in 
the same square, for their hens. The children were de- 
lighted to have the scraps of food utilized ; and it was a 
godsend to the poor fowls, who were not overfed, at least. 

But as the snows of winter gave place to grass, the yard 
began to be talked about. Miss Preston agitated the sub- 
ject in the most judicious way, never fretting, scolding nor 
finding fault. This she never does. She simply said one 
day while standing in the yard : 

" Henry, if you will bring a rake to school this afternoon, 
we will see if five or six of us cannot improve the looks of 
the yard a little bit." 

Henry did not need a second invitation, such he consid- 
ered it, and volunteers to help were both numerous and 
eager. The yard was cleared of all the rubbish except the 
kindling wood and ashes. The janitor was asked to have 
them removed — the former to the basement, and the latter 
to fill in the hollows in .he back yard. 



THE VASE AND THE ROCKERY. 73 

One morning Miss Preston appeared bearing in one hand 
a white vase or urn, such as adorn the yards of some of our 
"best citizens," only smaller. When one of the girls asked 
her about it she laughed and said : " I guess we must go to 
the woods for a standard for it ; " and after school our 
department went en masse, and when a stump of the desired 
size and shape had been found, the boys dragged it down to 
the yard for her and, following her directions, placed it in 
the center of the left yard, and the vase was fastened to its 
top by means of nails driven around it. It was then filled 
with dirt ; and bits of yellow myrtle, coliseum ivy, and 
othonno, were stuck into the soil and left to grow and cover 
both vase and stump. After being pronounced " a beauty," 
"lovely," etc., it transpired that the vase was the top of an 
old stove which some one was throwing away, when she 
begged it for the purpose named. She took it to the wagon 
shop, where she got it painted for ten cents. 

The next week she said, just before dismissing school one 
day : " If some of the boys will help me a while to-night, we 
will start a rockery in the right-hand yard, opposite the 
vase." You may be sure that there was no lack of help ; 
and while the big boys did the lifting, the little ones helped 
pile the stones in the desired shape. By degrees working 
only a few minutes at a time, this was finished and filled 
with soil, and creeping Jenny was brought, to grow over the 
sides. A cross was erected in the center, and scarlet run- 
ners, morning glories, sweet peas and a hop vine were trained 
over and around it. It was beautiful. 

Afterwards a geranium bank was built against the south 
end of the school house, and kept a perfect mass of bloom 
there during the whole season. This year two large flower 



74 



PRESTON PAPERS. 



beds have been started for pansies, verbenas, phlox, etc., 
with what result you shall surely know in time. 

Then she went to the Board of Education and asked if 
they had any fund which they could legally appropriate to 
the purchase of two croquet sets ! Having great confidence 
in her " management " they gave, without a murmur, what 
no one else would have dared to ask for ; and the croquet 
was put up, one set on each side of the back yard, for the 
pupils' use. 

I need not say that all these things have paid large divid- 
ends, for the money invested and for the extra labor. Riots 
in our school are unknown, truancy unheard of ; and every 
pupil is the loyal subject of a loving sovereign. 

I must tell you that Mr. Johnson has been suddenly taken 
sick, and by common consent of the Board of Education he 
has asked Miss Preston to officiate as superintendent during 
his illness. Will she be a success ? Yes, if she consents to 
take it all — for she never goes beyond her depth. 

More anon, from 

Yours Very Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



MISS PRESTON'S PROMOTION. 



lb 



No. XV. 

HEALTH. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Nov. 30, 188-. 
Mr. , State Supt., etc. 

My Dear Sir : — So much has been begun, accomplished, 
and become a thing of the past, since my last letter, that I 
hardly know where to begin. But I think I will go away 
back to our September meeting, for the topic announced for 
discussion was so unusual, and at the same time of so general 
interest, that I cannot forbear thinking that a synopsis of it 
may be welcomed by your intelligent teachers. 

Two years ago we should have been, — well, to put it 
mildly — astonished to hear Mr. Johnson suggest anything 
out of the old, stereotyped way for our consideration ; but 
since the advent among us of a teacher who lives and, living, 
thinks, we have found to our surprise that the educational 
" world does move; " for when we came together for the first 
time after the long vacation, we found Mr. Johnson partly 
recovered from his illness, but not well enough to perform 
all his duties as superintendent, and with Miss Preston for 
his chosen deputy! Miss Preston, whom he had well nigh 
beheaded for heresy only two years ago ! Miss Preston, 
who for some months was a veritable "thorn in the flesh" 
to our conservative superintendent, because of her radical 



7 6 



PRESTON PAPERS. 



notions and her persistent, although unobtrusive, declaration 
of them ! 

Well, we were not as entirely unprepared for the blessed 
denouement as we might have been, for we had all noticed 
how, unconsciously to himself, perhaps, he had been gradu- 
ally won over to her views of school matters; so after our 
reorganization we were not so much surprised to hear his 
proposal as the subject for our next regular meeting, " Our 
health : why and how shall we promote it ? " 

We were requested to consider it seriously, analytically, 
and thoroughly, and then to come to the meeting prepared 
to give our views and their reasons ; our experiences of the 
past and plans for the future. 

So totally unlike the old, formal meetings of our Associa- 
tion, where we did nothing but read statistics and receive 
commendation for their fullness or censure for their incom- 
pleteness ! Verily, time should be measured by our work 
instead of by the ticking of the clock; for in this short space 
we have learned more of our profession, done more for it and 
better work in it, than in all the long years that preceded it. 

I have only one regret at the changes wrought ; I am no 
longer " Miss Preston's Assistant," she being removed to a 
wider circle of action — and I was glad to be known as such. 
Is it too late for me to make a place for myself among think- 
ing teachers? Will it be an advantage to me to be left more 
dependent upon myself, now that I have been really " waked 
up " to my position and its responsibilities ? Can I ever 
hope to accomplish anything for the cause, myself? These 
and similar questions are formulated daily, hourly, con- 
stantly, as I teach, work, or write. But, concerning health 
as discussed by our Association : 



CARL FEE'S LAW OF CULTURE. 



77 



Mr. Johnson occupied the chair ; the meeting took the 
form adopted by common consent a year and a half previ- 
ously : an experience, conference, or class meeting. Mr. 
Lowell spoke first : 

" As to the ' why ' we should try to make the most of our 
physical nature. We are all more or less governed in all 
that we do by selfish motives ; and I think that for our own 
comfort and convenience, if for nothing else, we should avoid 
things that we know to be harmful, and cultivate the habits 
that we find by observation and experience are most bene- 
ficial in their results." 

"Very good," said Mr. Johnson; "it is true that we are 
promoting our own interests in seeking to improve our bodily 
health. Who has another suggestion ? " 

Miss Miller arose somewhat timidly, to advance her ideas 
on the subject. Another indication that " the waters have 
been troubled," for she has heretofore been a " silent part- 
ner " in our concern, except when personally called upon to 
express herself, and then she has done it so diffidently that 
we have felt sure she would rather listen than speak. 

" I think it may be done from a sense of duty to ourselves, 
quite as much as from a seeking after personal comfort and 
convenience. Our full measure of self-duty is not rounded 
until we have done all that we know is for our good." 

The idea of making our health a matter of conscience ! 
It was new to some of us any way, but I think it's not so 
bad a suggestion after all. Is it not Carlyle who declares 
the law of culture to be (in effect), Let each become all that 
he was created capable of being; expand, if possible, to his 
full growth, resisting all impediments, casting off all foreign 
especially all noxious, adhesions, and show himself in his 



78 



PRESTOM PAPERS. 



own shape and stature, be these what they may? All that 
we are " created capable of being," means so much. But I 
digress. 

Mr. Wheeler spoke next : 

" I am inclined to be governed by Mr. Lowell's stated 
conviction that selfish motives may be the inspiration that 
governs me in seeking to improve my physical nature. I 
enjoy life when I'm well; but if suffering from neuralgia, 
malaria, dyspepsia, or fever, my pleasure in existence is 
gone." 

Verily, he seemed like health personified as he stood there. 
Tall, straight, well proportioned, and ruddy of countenance, 
he might indeed " enjoy life," and one could hardly imagine 
him conquered by disease. 

"That is good, too," observed Mr. Johnson, "as far as it 
goes ; has any one else a 'why ' for us to consider ? " 

Next Miss Wood spoke : 

"As a matter of economy it would be well for some of us to 
study the first principles of health. Besides having been 
off duty several months, and thereby curtailing my salary, I 
have recently paid a doctor's bill of $45 ; and. financial con- 
siderations alone would be sufficient to lead me to give more 
attention to the matter than I have ever done before." 

My own turn seemed to be right here, and I ventured the 
observation that since my daily bread was secured by the 
performance of duties that could not be done in sickness, 
financial considerations were of some importance to me also. 

Miss Smith came next : 

"Well, my Yankee spirit rebels at the idea of being 
dependent upon one else, as all sick people must be in 

a greater or less degree, in proportion to their helplessness. 



MORALS OF GOOD HEALTH. y 9 

I don't like even to feel that I am marring some one else's 
pleasure, by asking for quiet because my head aches. I 
don't want to be obliged to wait for some one to do my 
errands or to wait upon me because I am unable to do either 
for myself. Health is liberty; disease is slavery; " and she 
sat down as abruptly as she had spoken, leaving a visible 
effect on the minds of some of her auditors. 

I began to think Miss Preston did not mean to speak on 
this subject, but she now said, slowly and without rising : 

" These are all good reasons, and show the importance of 
making an effort to promote our health ; but I am not sure 
we have found the prime ' Why ' embodied in any one or 
all of them. ' No man liveth to himself ; ' and although a 
proper degree of thought and care for self is not only com- 
mendable but necessary, I think we must go even further 
than that, and consider somewhat our relations to others, 
and their happiness, comfort, and convenience. Nor can we 
ignore the fact that we, as teachers, have a special responsi- 
bility in the matter; for we cannot do our duty by those over 
whom we have voluntarily assumed a guardianship, if by 
reason of physical disability our chief thought is given to 
ourselves ; and we have no moral right to come into school 
day after day, with our tempers so tried by physical suffering 
which we might prevent, that we cannot do full justice to 
the physical, mental, and moral necessities of our pupils. 
We have no right, as teachers, to make our pupils feel our 
pain, nor to render them the least injustice by neglecting to 
4 round up the full measure of our duty ' to them." 

Of course hers was the broader, more noble view of the 
question, as usual ; but we all acquiesced in it mentally, if 
not verbally. Mr. Johnson had betrayed more than ordi- 



80 PRESTON PAPERS. 

nary interest in this part of the discussion, and now added 
his mite to the general contribution : 

"There is one phase of the subject untouched as yet, I 
believe. Time is an important element in our work, and all 
that is lost by sickness is so much taken from our allotted 
three-score-and-ten. We have no right to waste our time 
nor to shorten our years by endangering or injuring our 
health." 

There were other speakers, and some minor lights were 
thrown upon the subject, but the question soon turned on 
the " How ? " Space and time alike forbid the rehearsal of 
the points made on this division of the subject, until you 
hear again from 

Yours Very Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 

( For as such I still prefer to be known, having made your 
acquaintance while in that capacity.) 



BREATHING. gj 



No. XVI. 

HEALTH. ( Continued. ) 

Oldtown, N. Y., March, 188-. 
Mr. , State Supt., etc. 

My Dear Sir : — " How shall we promote our health ? " 
seemed to us even more practical, as we advanced in its 
discussion, than did the first part of the question, the 
"Why." 

" I think," said our Superintendent, with some hesitancy, 
" that as breath is the essential of life, perhaps we had better 
open this part of the subject by the ideas we have gained 
from experience, concerning breathing. To appreciate the 
necessity for knowledge on this subject, one only needs to 
have the respiration become short and painful for a few 
days. A long, full breath, one which is painless, will be 
looked upon as a real luxury then," and he smiled faintly. 

Stern, cold and hard as he had always seemed to us, I 
think not one but felt a secret sympathy for him, knowing 
that his words must have been the result of his recent 
experience. 

Mr. Wheeler added : " Yes, and it is such a cheap luxury, 
too. The trouble is, that nine tenths of us don't know how to 
breathe." 

Really, I had never thought of it before, but I began to be 
interested. " Is this a part of the New Education ? " I 
6 



8 2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

asked myself. " Are we to breathe by rule, as we learn 
arithmetic ? " 

I had no time to formulate the thoughts that crowded in 
through the little door that had been set slightly ajar in my 
brain, for Miss Wood immediately spoke : 

" Not know how 2 What do you mean, Mr. Wheeler ? " 

" Precisely what I said," with a smile ; " we breathe, for 
instance, through our mouths instead of through our noses 
more than half of the time, thereby filling our lungs with 
dust, as well as with air that is too cold before it passes 
through the place where our Creator intended that it should. 
Again ; we do not breathe deeply enough. We are satisfied 
to take a short respiration which only half fills the lungs, 
that should be filled full at every upward movement of the 
chest." 

Breathing! so simple a thing — and yet in this nineteenth 
century even that is reduced to an exact science ! What 
next ? 

" And then our eating is, so much of it, wrong. We eat 
too much; too often; and things that are not calculated to 
repair the wastes that are continually going on in our sys- 
tems. We do not sufficiently study our body-functions. 
Our digesting apparatus is more of a mystery to most of us 
than Kepler's Three Laws, or the doctrine of evolution." 

This, of course, came from Miss Smith. She has a breezy 
way that is refreshing in some temperatures, although rather 
chilling in others. I like her though; I can't help it — if 
she is somewhat incisive in her remarks. 

" What is ' too often ? " was Miss Miller's rather apologetic 
inquiry. " We can hardly take more than three meals a day if 
we are teaching, and I've never supposed that extravagant." 



REST. 8$ 

" True ; and if we only ate at meal times there would be 
fewer cases of headache, indigestion and dyspepsia. As a 
rule, we give our digestive organs plenty to do with what we 
eat at table ; but how few of us refuse fruit, nuts or candy 
between times ! " 

Silence for a few moments ; perhaps we were undergoing 
a sort of self-examination, for directly Mr. Lowell "con- 
fessed " for all of us : 

" I think we must all plead guilty to that home thrust," 
and he looked around to see if there was any dissent. 
Finding none he proceeded : " But if we go very much into 
details here we shall never get off this one department of 
the subject, and there are so many ! We must make a real 
study of this thing, and as ' A word to the wise is sufficient,' 
we will, perhaps, do well to discuss this matter still further 
in the future, after having had time to look it up a little 
more. One thing occurs to me just now, and I give you the 
thought for what it is worth. We may take every precau- 
tion as to eating and breathing properly, and yet neglect the 
next essential, rest. Too few of us know how to rest, or 
when or how much. Some of us do not even know what 
real rest is." 

" Do you mean anything further than sleep ? " asked Mr. 
Johnson. 

" Oh, yes. Sometimes a mere change of occupation is 
rest. We cannot do the same thing for a great length of 
time without some weariness to the organs and muscles that 
are brought into use by that special form of labor, be it phys- 
ical or mental ; and at the same time others are inactive, and 
will become equally weary for want of use." 

" Then you do not consider idleness necessary to rest ? " 



84 PRESTON PAPERS. 

" Sometimes, perhaps, but seldom. But we should be 
careful not to pursue the same thing too long at a time,- 
even in the matter of recreation and rest. Too much of the 
same sort, even of rest, is not good for us." 

Now that was news to me. I had never really thought of 
it before ; but I think it must be true, because I know that 
I have always found myself about as tired of " doing noth- 
ing " during my summer vacation as I have ever been by 
teaching ; although, to be sure, I have only recently learned 
how much real hard work can be carried on in the school 
room, 

" One other thing occurs to me," said Miss Preston. 
" Perhaps all of us rely more upon tonics and narcotics to 
carry us over an uneven spot in our journey than we ought. 
Quinine, chloral, aconite, etc., are made to do the duty of 
common sense, prudence and self-denial." 

"I have heard," said Mr. Brown, somewhat sarcastically, 
" that 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ; ' 
and perhaps the little ' prevention ' we take so easily keeps 
away the necessity for greater doses. " 

" Yes, perhaps. But then if we began the l prevention ' 
a little earlier in the day it would be better still by removing 
the necessity for even a tiny dose, from the effects of which 
our systems must always take time to recover." 

"I think our dress is not always conducive to health," 
said Miss Wheeler. " Perhaps I should say ladies' dress, 
for I rather think our fathers and brothers have some little 
advantage there. They have more freedom of movement, 
more room, more comfort, and consequently more good 
nature, which is a great help toward good health." 

Did you ever hear anything more absurd ? Good health 



SYNOPSIS. 85 

secured by good nature, and that (partially at least) by 
roomy clothing ! 

I find I must stop, but if you like I will crystallize the dif- 
ferent ideas into as many sentences, and you may have them 
for what they are worth. Then, if you want the gist of our 
next meeting on the same topic, I'll give it some time in the 
future, but I want first to tell you how Miss Preston teaches 
grammar, which I shall do in my next: 

1. Breathe deeply, through the nose, with closed mouth. 

2. Eat regularly, judiciously. 

3. Rest frequently; not too long in the same way. 

4. Avoid medicine ( ordinarily ), but do not be sparing of 
common sense. 

5. Dress comfortably. 

6. Don't worry. 

These suggestions are few and simple, but we have tested 
them pretty severely in the last few months, and are pleased 
at our success. 

Yours Respectfully, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



86 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XVII. 

GRAMMAR. 

Oldtown, N. Y., May i, 188-. 
State Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Very Dear Sir: — Our talk on " Grammar and How to 
Teach It " was so interesting and helpful to most of us that 
I wondered if it might not be useful to others who had run 
across a similar "snag." Yes, I used that word advisedly, 
for it has been a very serious question with some of us — 
with me. And I am free to confess that the trouble began 
in my room — if that can be truly called "trouble" which 
finally results in so much good to so many people. It was 
on this wise : 

A year or more ago, Colonel Clinton visited our school 
with a view to sending his youngest daughter there. Now 
the Colonel is very peculiar. He has views ; and as he has 
money also, he can afford to be independent in his expres- 
sion of them. He does not believe in public schools and 
has never patronized them, having hired private tutors and 
governesses for his children. So we were all very much 
■astonished to hear him say, after having sat a while : 

" Miss Preston, I have heard so much of your work in 
school, that I thought I would drop in and see if the reports 
had not been greatly exaggerated. I am pleased to find 
that they have not, but 'the half has not been told me; ' 



FAULTS OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Sj 

and now I want, if you can receive her, to send my daughter 
Katharine. Her governess has been called home unexpect- 
edly by the death of her mother, and cannot come back to 
us. But I see you are pretty well filled up here. Can you 
take her ? " 

"Yes 3 1 think so," said Miss Preston; "we'll manage some 
way. Has she never been to school ? " 

" No. None of my children have ever been to public 
school. My oldest son fitted for college under my own 
supervision, and my second is doing the same ; will be 
ready, we think, in the fall. My oldest daughter will gradu- 
ate from Wellesley in June ; my second daughter entered 
last year — and now here is Katharine, just about with your 
grade in her studies, I should think." 

"What is your objection to the public schools?" asked 
Miss Preston, very quietly. You could not have guessed 
from her demeanor that he had touched upon her favorite 
theme, but he had. 

" Oh, the system is all wrong," he began, but stopped sud- 
denly, as if recollecting himself. 

" Perhaps. I will not deny that it has faults, very grave 
ones, it may be; but I have never found that the mere men- 
tion of an evil rectified it; and unless we have something 
better to offer in its place, we gain nothing by criticising it." 

" True; very true," he replied earnestly, " and I think you 
are doing your full duty to help it. You do not do as so 
many have done who cry ' down ' with the system, and that 
is just why I want Katharine to be here. As a general thing 
the schools are governed by cast iron rules, and graded by 
a sort of Procrustean process of examination that lops off 
or stretches the pupils, until they all fit one educational 



S8 PRESTON PAPERS. 

bed, without regard to their intellects, home surroundings, 
or after lives." 

Much more of the, same sort — worth printing, too, for 
•each is chock full of ideas on this subject — but I want to 
tell you about the grammar discussion, and must not stop on 
the way; but the result of it was that Katharine came, and 
Katharine saw, and Katharine conquered, as hereafter. 

Things went all right as long as Miss Preston stayed, but 
she was called upon to take Mr. Johnson's place during his 
sickness, and her class fell to me. ( Would that her mantle 
had fallen to me also ! ) I got along very well until one day, 
in the grammar class, Katharine asked me something, and I, 
in my old unthinking way, referred her to her text book. 

" Oh, I know it's there, and I can read it if I choose; but 
what good will it do, as long as I don't understand it ?" 

Now that set me to thinking, and I thought real hard. 
Two or three years ago I should have blamed her, perhaps 
punished her, for impertinence ; but I have found out some 
things in that time ; and when little things like that occur I 
try to see if there may not be some underlying reason for it. 
Well, to help matters along, the next day brought me the 
following note from the Colonel : 

" If Miss Preston's Assistant will excuse my little girl from the recita 
tion in grammar, I will undertake the care of that study myself, and will 
see that she is so well drilled that she will ' pass ' at the next examination. 
Please let me hear from you on the subject, and believe me, 
Your Most Obedient Servant, 

M. S. Clinton." 
Before my association with Miss Preston, the above would 
have called forth thoughts, perhaps remarks, like these : 
" Perhaps he had better make out my programs for me ! I 



MY REPLY TO THE COLONELS NOTE. 89 

am surprised that he doesn't petition the Board of Education 
to let him dictate the entire course of study for our schools ! 
I wonder what he sends his child to public school for, if he 
means to reserve the right to elect what she shall or shall 
not study. Does he suppose I can have all the parents 
using their discretion, or their want of it, in the education 
of my pupils ? If he wants to teach her grammar, he may 
teach her that and everything else along with it." 

But now, things are so different; I can see why a teacher 
should not monopolize all the interest in a child's studies, 
and how it is that some parents feel deprived of parental 
privileges by the educational straight jackets to which their 
children are subjected. So after some meditation on the 
subject, I penned the following reply: 
"Mr. M. S, Clinton, 

My Dear Sir: — Much as I should be pleased to comply with so reason- 
able a request, I cannot yet see my way clear to do so. The course of 
study for each grade has been planned by the Superintendent, with the 
concurrence of the Board ; and until the rules are abrogated or modified, 
the teachers have no discretion in the matter, and cannot choose but obey. 
Most Respectfully, 

Miss Preston's Assistant." 

There I was, well entrenched behind my breastwork, the 
Board and Superintendent ; which breastwork he proceed- 
ed to destroy at once by appealing in person to the said B. 
and S. 

"Why will you," said he, "insist upon wasting so much 
precious time on mere technicalities that are neither useful 
nor comprehensible to the average child ? By doing so, you 
use up half a dozen of the best years of the child's life, 
and give him a smattering of several things and a dislike, if 
not a positive aversion, to those really desirable, and deprive 



9 o PRESTON PAPERS. 

him of the opportunity to learn things that he must meet in 
after life, prepared or unprepared. You've no moral right to 
do it." 

The idea of there being a moral side to grammar ! Well, 
I took my trouble to Miss Preston, and asked her if we 
could not discuss it at our next meeting. 

" Certainly; we will do so. Questions like this are coming 
up every day, and we must think of them. Colonel Clinton 
is more than half right — partly wrong — as such radical 
people are apt to be." 

And that was the beginning of our revolution. Some of 
the teachers opened their eyes with astonishment when the 
subject of the day was announced, and not a few suggested 
that it was a foeman hardly worthy of their steel; but these 
same objectors were among the first to fall in the conflict. 

Miss Bates began : 

" I like the method I learned by. I am used to it and I 
have never learned any other. I am perfectly at home in it 
and should lose myself in trying to teach a new one that I 
was not familiar with ; " and she settled back into her seat. 

Miss Ingersoll whispered to me : " I wonder if the system 
she is so * familiar with ' advocates the use of prepositions 
at the end of sentences ? " 

Now as Miss Bates must have learned grammar thirty or 
forty years since, I thought, myself, that perhaps some little 
advance had been made in the method of teaching it. But 
Mr. Brown interrupted my reflections with : 

" Well. I suppose grammar and the best methods of teach- 
ing it have made some progress since I studied it, for ' The 
world does move ' in educational as well as in other senses, 
and I am looking for results that will help me choose from 
among the many methods in vogue." 



OBJECTIONS. 



91 



"As for me," said Mr. Lowell, "I do not know which I 
most dread, grammar or compositions. I got a great deal 
of light on the latter subject at one of our first meetings on 
the new plan, and it helped me wonderfully. If grammar 
can be reduced to the same simple thing, I shall be grateful 
to whoever will show me how to render pleasant the disa- 
greeable, and useful the apparently useless. As it is, my 
pupils not only dislike it, but they see positive reasons why 
they ought not to be compelled to study it." 

"Exactly my experience," said Miss Wood. "To their 
' I don't see the use of it,' I generally put in, * You will, per- 
haps, when you are older ; ' but when I said that to Mary 
Towner the other day, she said that her father often said that 
reading the best authors gave any one a better knowledge of 
the queen's English than the mere study of grammar could 
ever do; and I had nothing to reply, for I felt its truth." 

Mr. Johnson sighed. " How much remains for us to do ! " 
he said despondently. 

"Perhaps we shall gain time by undoing" said Miss 
Preston. " This is one of the things I have wanted to have 
discussed in council for a long time. It has troubled me 
that the course of study mapped out for us to follow ignores 
grammar until after the child has been several years in 
school, and then the indiscriminate stuffing of rules, defini- 
tions and conjugations begins. ' Fall term, KerVs Grammar 
to page 95; winter term, ditto to page 125; spring term, to 
page 150, and review the year's work.' The next year it is 
the same, only more so ; and the process is continued ad 
libitum, ad infinitum, ad nauseam, until I don't wonder that 
teachers, pupils, and parents cry for mercy." 

"Is there no 'balm in Gilead'?" queried Miss Smith. 



92 PRESTON PAPERS. 

" Certainly there is a cure," answered Miss Preston. " I 
believe there's no physical disease without its remedy, and 
that there's no question of educational importance without 
its answer; but both remedy and answer require diligence, 
labor, and patience, in the finding." 

I believe I am getting beyond my limits, and so will defer 
the suggestions offered and conclusions at which we arrived, 
until my next; remaining, 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



TEACHING BY EXAMPLE. 



93 



No. XVIII. 

GRAMMAR. ( Continued. ) 

" I teach grammar largely by using it — as, if I were to 
teach walking I would set the class to walking. Much of 
our teaching, perhaps including grammar, is theoretical, and 
in ordinary conversation and school work we do not make 
use of the principles we have taught," said Miss Preston. 

"Will you illustrate your meaning?" inquired Mr. Johnson. 

" Just this will do it : in our grammar classes we teach 
the declension of the personal pronouns, giving the first 
person singular the formal 'me' in the objective — and yet 
many of us almost invariably say : * It is for you and I ' — 
merely because we do not think. It isn't because we do 
not know; but having learned grammar theoretically we 
neglect its practice." 

" How do you avoid this trouble, Miss Preston ? I have 
heard that your schools were almost models of careful 
speech," said Miss Wood. 

" Thank you. I fully believe in the Scriptural injunction 
to ' Watch ' in this line, at least. Nowhere do we so often 
betray ourselves as by our speech, and as teachers we should 
be exemplars in this as in other things." 

"That is so — but I want the prescription for the ' Balm 
in Gilead ' or the balm itself," said Miss Wood. 

"To be brief, then," responded Miss Preston, " I bid every 



94 PRESTON PAPERS. 

one watch, and begin the work myself. I inspect all the writ- 
ten work with that in view, and look out for oral lapses, ask- 
ing each pupil to do- the same. Each one keeps a note book 
in which he records any error of speech which he hears; and 
on a certain day in the week we have a general exercise 
in grammar. All participate ; books are laid aside, and 
from three to half a dozen pupils are selected to write at 
the blackboard ; those at their seats take turns in reading 
from their note books whatever they have accumulated, and 
these sentences are put upon the board by those who have 
been selected to write. When that is all done as many 
readers are chosen as there have been copyists, and as each 
phrase or sentence is read I call upon some one to point out 
the error, some one else ( at times I call for a ' concert ' 
answer ) to correct it and tell why it was wrong, giving the 
rule that covers the case." 

" Now that strikes me favorably, very," said Mr. Johnson 
reflectively, "although I've never heard of grammar being 
taught in that way. But you say ' Giving the rule that 
covers the case.' That implies a previous learning of tech- 
nical rules, does it not ? " 

" Yes. As often as my school can digest a short lesson in 
grammar I give them one, always teaching objectively where 
possible — and afterwards reducing the matter to writing. 
Then I give several days to the elucidation and elaboration 
of the principle just taught. We get illustrations daily, and 
from everywhere ; and we so make practical what we learn 
— and only the practical in grammar seems worth while, 
when there is so much to learn that is absolutely necessary 
to our best development." 

"But, Miss Preston, do you never use a book in your 
classes ? " queried Miss Wells. 



WAYS AND MEANS. 95 

''Oh, yes, sometimes, but not for an every-day diet as it 
were," and she laughed. " Where standard authors differ in 
methods, principle, or definition, I present the different 
views and the reasons given ; and at times I quote author- 
ities to substantiate my own statement. My pupils keep 
note books in which they enter the main part of each les- 
son ; and each one owns a text book, to be used for refer- 
ence or for a set lesson whenever necessary." 

" I should think it would take an ordinary life time to get 
ready to teach grammar in this way," said Miss Smith. 

" Some longer, perhaps, than in the ordinary way," said 
Miss Preston, " but it pays, in that it saves the child from 
the almost universal dread of studying grammar, and from 
the uselessness of much of it, besides saving time for other 
things, from what is usually given to that study." 

"We will begin the September Term in the study of 
grammar under Miss Preston's direction," said Mr. John- 
son hopefully, " and I believe that it will result in good in 
more directions than those mentioned. Meanwhile, we will 
ponder on these things and study ways and means;" and we 
disbanded with a feeling of gladness that this "bugbear" of 
the common school has at last been chained. 

Before closing I will illustrate Miss Preston's method by 
giving two or three examples taken from the blackboard in 
my own room, as they were written and corrected in our 
to-day's exercise. 

" This is the sunniest side of the street." 

Teacher : ' ' John, what is wrong about this ? " 

John : "Why, the word ' sunniest ' is not right." 

Teacher: " Correct it, please, and tell why it is wrong." 

John: " Sunnier should have been used, as that is the comparative 



9 6 PRESTON PAPERS. 

form for the word sunny ; and the superlative form ' sunniest ' must not 
be used unless there are more than two things to be compared." 

Teacher : " Yes, and a street has only two sides. Mary Fields, you 
may read and correct the next sentence." 

Mary: "The sentence reads: 'The candy is for you and I.' I 
think it should be for you and me,' but can't tell why." 

Teacher : "I will call for volunteer information." ( Dozens of hands 
are raised to signify their owner's knowledge on the point, one of whom 
is chosen to speak.) 

Charles : ' ' Why, the case is wrong. The nominative form has been 
used, when it should be objective after the preposition for." 

Teacher : " Can you give the rule? " 

Charles: "Yes, ma'am. We had that rule last week. 'A noun or 
pronoun is in the objective case when it is used as the object of a verb or 
preposition.'" 

Teacher : " Very good. Now do you understand it, Mary ? " 

Mary: "Not quite. I do not see how he knew whether 'I' was 
nominative or objective." 

Teacher : " Mary, can you decline a personal pronoun which is in 
the first person, singular number?" 

Mary: "No, ma'am, I am sure I can not. I do not believe I ever 
knew." 

Teacher: "Charles, give it please. Mary has come among us so 
recently that she has not learned that yet." 

Charles : " Nominative /, possessive my or mine, objective me." 

Teacher : " Now do you see, Mary ? " 

Mary : " Yes, ma'am. I felt quite sure it ought to be objective — but 
I could not tell how he knew which was objective." 

Teacher : " Very good. Now we will take the next one. Lily, you 
may read it." 

Lily : " He don't do so." 

Teacher : " Can you correct it ? " 

Lily : "I think so. Should it not be : ' He does n't do so ' ? " 

Teacher: " Yes ; but tell us why, please." 

Lily : " Don't is an allowable contraction for do not, and we should 
say does not, if we said it in full." 



EXAMPLES. 9 7 

Teacher : " Give us the rule for that if you can, please." 

Lily : " Verbs must agree with their subjects in person and number." 

These are samples, merely, of the method, which you 
must see in use to get an idea of its scope and thorough- 
ness. Hoping that you may, I remain 
Yours, Cordially, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XIX. 
WHISPERING. 

Oldtown, N. Y., May 22, 188-, 

Mr. , State Supt., etc. 

My Dear Sir: — We were somewhat startled, at our last 
meeting, to hear Mr. Wheeler plead somewhat vehemently 
for a symposium on "Whispering — the Evil and its Cure." 

" I am sure," he said, " that if I don't get and keep it out 
of my school, untold and almost unqualified bad discipline 
will result. It is the one thing against which I feel com- 
pelled to wage a constant warfare ; and yet, like Banquo's 
ghost, it will not ' down ' but rises and confronts me daily, 
constantly." 

"I have felt the same desperation regarding the same 
evil," said Miss Wood ; " and I've resorted to every device 
that has been brought to my notice to break up the perni- 
cious habit, but without any staying results." 

" It used to trouble me, at first," said Miss Smith, " but of 
late my interest has been so centered in the general work of 
the school that I've almost forgotten about the old enemy." 

I saw Miss Preston smile a little quizzically, and I knew 
that she had a theory of her own on the subject, which I 
thought would be brought to light sooner or later, so waited 
in patience. 

"I've never been much annoyed by it myself," said Mr. 



FAIR PLAY. 99 

Stephens. " I supposed it was a ' part of the play ' to whis- 
per. In fact I don't see how one can well get along without 
it, if he's either social or enthusiastic." 

"I am with you in sentiment, in part, at least," said Miss 
Preston, " and I have but little faith in most of the ' devices ' 
that put children upon so unnatural a strain as to require 
them to desist entirely from using the God-given boon of 
speech, under pains and penalties." 

Here was a mess ! For we had been taught to look upon 
whispering as one of the cardinal sins of the schoolroom, 
and the whisperer as a criminal whom nothing could rescue 
from an ignominious fate. 

"Why," said Miss Smith, "do you ever allow it in your 
schools ? " 

" Under certain restrictions, yes," said Miss Preston, 
cheerfully. 

" Will you kindly name some of the restrictions ? " asked 
Mr. Johnson. 

"With pleasure," she responded heartily. "In the first 
place I ask only what I judge to be reasonable, and am quite 
sure to get this. I say, early in my acquaintance with my 
school and its needs, 'Children, it isn't fair for some of 
you to have or take privileges that all may not share, is it ? ' 
And the average boy is quite easily touched in regard to 
fair play. Then I try to show how, by whispering, one may 
disturb two or three and have a bad influence upon many 
more. I also provide times when all may whisper at once." 
"Why?" 

" Well, there is often a reason for the whisper. A child 
may have been absent when the lesson was announced, and 
not know where to study ; or tardy when something of im- 



IO o PRESTON PAPERS. 

portance occurred, and, childlike, he'll want to know about 
it. Through misfortune, carelessness, or accident, he may 
be without the books or materials needed for his lessons, 
which can not be learned until these are procured ; and I 
prefer to have the necessary whispering all done at one time." 

"How often do you give them this opportunity?" asked 
Mr. Wheeler, interested. 

"Once during each session." 

" But does not this consume a great deal of time ? " que- 
ried Mr. Johnson. 

" Oh, no. One of the very first things I try to teach is 
prompt obedience; and as the children know what the bell 
signifies, and obey it very promptly, five minutes is ample 
for each whispering recess." 

" I should think it would almost save that and more, in 
the long run," said Miss Miller. 

" It does," replied Miss Preston. " I take the same time to 
answer general questions that must be asked some time, and 
that arise, for reasons similar to those that almost necessitate 
whispering." 

" Then you do not permit questions to be asked during 
recitation and study hours ? " suggested Mr. Brown. 

" Certainly not. Besides teaching the very bad habit of 
interrupting — which is likely to be detrimental to their 
manners in social life — (and I must soon give you a synopsis 
of our talk on " Manners," it was so full of good things) it 
does break up the line of study among the listeners. Con- 
secutive thinking is the only kind of thinking that is really 
valuable; and I am aiming to teach this, which can't well be 
done in a room that is always giving out sound." 

" True," said Mr. Johnson ; " and while you've demon- 



WHISPERING CONTROLLED. IO i 

strated a show of necessity for some whispering, you have 
shown that it may be managed so as not to be the unmiti- 
gated evil that we have generally considered it." 

" I have usually found that nearly all evil is more or less 
'mitigated' by the germ of good which it may contain," 
assented Miss Preston; " and by teaching children to respect 
the rights of others at the same time that they guard their 
own, we have made a long stride toward doing away with 
whispering. 'A time and a place for everything ' is another 
principle which, thoroughly taught, will develop the thought 
that whispering may become a nuisance if done at the wrong 
time." 

" Your reasons for a limited allowance are so good, and 
your plans for its management so simple, that I think I 
shall try them," said Mr Wheeler, hopefully. " Like some 
other things, although a bad master it may be made a good 
servant." 

" I have heard good teachers go so far as to say that nine 
tenths of all the mischief done or projected in school arose 
from this cause," responded Miss Preston; "but I think the 
statement overdrawn, the imaginary evil magnified. Still, I 
should want that, like any thing having a downward tend- 
ency, to be within my control. Even well drilled soldiers 
or sailors may get so far beyond their superior's influence as 
to mutiny, if not handled with judgment — and I want my 
school children to respect themselves and love Right enough 
to work toward the best interests of all, in this as well as 
other matters; so I place it in their hands, partly, and show 
them how much more and better work they can accomplish 
when whispering is regulated a little." 

u Do you permit other forms of communication except at 
stated intervals?" asked Mr. Johnson. 



102 PRESTON PAPERS. 

Miss Preston laughed. " Now I begin to think you believe 
I engrave my rules and regulations in cast iron; but I don't. 
I say simply this: 'Whisper if you musts but be careful. 
Think, before you do it; and let the matter wait if you can. 
If it is something imperative, and it will disturb less to write 
a note, do that. Avoid either when possible.' " 

" It seems to me," ventured Mr. Whipple, " that that is like 
opening a sluice way for a freshet." 

" Call it that, or a safety-valve, or what you will, there is 
no danger if you don't let it get the start of you," said Miss 
Preston. " You are engineer, fireman, or what not, and 
you must manage the brakes. I only wanted to show the 
difference between rigid, uncompromising prohibition, and 
reasonable management of what may be either a help or a 
nuisance." 

Her ideas on this subject were new to most of us, and her 
plans equally so; but we were all "with one consent " satis- 
fied that they were at least worth trying. Hoping that some 
others who have "swamped " on this question may be helped 
by our discussion of it, I remain, 

Yours Very Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



SOCIAL CULTURE. 



103 



No. XX. 

MANNERS. 

Oldtown, N. Y., June 26, 188- 
Mr. , Supt. Public Instruction. 

Respected Sir : — Our little knot of interested teachers 
took up "Manners" during one of our spring meetings; 
and we really gained something for ourselves as well as for 
our schools, by its ventilation. The parliament was opened 
by Miss Sigourney, who in an undertone, designed only for 
Mr. Brown's ears, said : 

"I was amused this morning on my way here, to meet 
Julian Bristol. He doffed his soft felt hat to me, with a 
bow that would have done credit to a Chesterfield or a 
Raleigh." 

Now Julian is one of my big boys, of African descent^ 
graceful, good natured, and one of Miss Preston's ardent 
admirers — as all her school children are ; and at her sug- 
gestion I have been giving my department little lessons, 
hints, and talks, on social culture; and I have been care- 
fully noting its effect in the manners of my pupils, in school 
and on the street; and Miss Sigourney's tone, more than 
her words, nettled me a little, and although not addressed 
personally, I spurred up with : 

" Is it unusual for gentlemen to raise their hats to you, 
Miss Sigourney ?" 



104 PRESTON PAPERS. 

Now it was ill-bred, and I ought to have possessed my 
soul in patience. Miss Sigourney, however, good-naturedly 
ignored my implied sarcasm, and laughed a little, saying, 
gently for her : 

" Julian is only sixteen ; and our incipient gentlemen, of 
such tender years, are not usually masters of such captivat- 
ing manners as to make it seem like an every-day occur- 
rence to me." 

" I am sure there should be nothing unusual in such a dis- 
play of courtesy as to make it a target for remarks of any 
sort," said Mr. Johnson, a little warmly. " I have n't noticed 
that our boys and girls are below the average in politeness." 

" And yet," said Mr. Hopkins, "it was only yesterday that 
my landlady complained of the ' rabble ' as she termed the 
boys ( boys who call themselves young gentlemen, too, and 
many of them come from families of good social position ) 
who came ' tumbling' pell-mell out of the High School build- 
ing, just as she was passing. Some really ran against her, 
and nearly all were so intent upon running that they were as 
oblivious of her presence on the pavement as they were of 
her right to it. She was quite disgusted, and spoke with 
some vehemence of a 'system' that makes scholars at the 
expense of gentlemen." 

" Now I think she's hasty in condemning the system, 
faulty though it may be," said Miss Preston, on the defen- 
sive at once. " To be sure the conduct was rude, inexcus- 
able, may be ; but Mrs. Storrs never had any children of her 
own, and her childhood is so far in the background that she 
has perhaps forgotten her own impulsive youth — if it was 
impulsive ; and if was n't she could n't well understand such 
a phase of boy-nature." 



AWKWARDNESS OF YOUTH. 105 

" That's the key note to much of our trouble of every 
description," sighed Mr. Johnson. "We dorit understand 
ourselves nor others, and we look at a thing from only one 
side. Now suppose we lay aside our plans for to-day's 
work, and talk about ' Civility : How it may be taught and 
inculcated in our schoolrooms.' " 

Personally I was very glad of this suggestion, for when I 
began to look with my new eyes upon the work before me 
I could see so much uncultivated " good timber " before me 
that the magnitude of the work nearly overwhelmed me. 
" Watch," Miss Preston had said to me. ''You will see that 
nine out of ten do not know how to get out of a room prop- 
erly when there are others in it ; how to terminate a call or 
visit gracefully and pleasantly ; how to acknowledge a favor 
nor how to make amends for a blunder." And I had 
watched, and had found these things and more — things 
that I wonder I had passed without observing for so many 
years. It is just the difference between machine work and 
soul work everywhere. 

"Well," said Miss Sigourney, "I did not know I was lead- 
ing up to such a profound discussion ; but on the whole I 
can not regret it if it opens my eyes as to any good way to 
treat a matter that has only troubled me a short time." 

Mr. Whipple was in the chair that day, and he said : 
" Perhaps we shall get at the merits of the subject more 
quickly if we concede the great need of work in this field, 
and confine our first inquiries as to the best ways of doing 
the work. Miss Ingersoll, where would you begin ? " 

"On the 'woman' side of the question, naturally," she 
replied with a laugh. " I would teach deference to the sex, 
from the youngest boy up." 



ro 6 PRESTON PAPERS. 

il Good/' said Mr. Whipple. "But that would only touch 
a part of creation." 

"A very large part, though," said Miss Ingersoll; "and 
the boy who is polite to his mother and sisters will hardly be 
rude to the rest of the family." 

"True," said Mr. Whipple, "and yet I think we should 
begin on a broader basis. Let us hear from the gentlemen 
of the Association. Mr. Lowell, where would you place the 
fundamental principles of good breeding ? " 

" I think," said Professor Lowell, slowly, " that if we place 
selfishness at the base of rudeness, we shall find that court- 
esy rests upon its opposite trait." 

"That is good, too, as far as it goes," said Mr. Johnson, 
"but some people who are really unselfish at heart are not 
models of manners." 

" That would suggest ' tact ' as an essential element of 
courtesy," said Mr. Wheeler, a little doubtfully. 

" Yes ; and it is a good plank," said Mr. Whipple ; " yet I 
hardly think we have gotten at the heart of the matter yet. 
Let us hear from the fair sex," and he looked appealingly 
at Miss Preston. 

" I would give every child the Golden Rule as an infallible 
general guide," she responded, unhesitatingly ; " the thought 
' Would I like to have such and such things said and done 
to me, or in my presence,' will often prompt to an act of 
civility, or restrain the performance of an impolite one. 
But all children and most young people as well as some 
older ones need specific, definite instruction as to how and 
what to do under certain every day circumstances." 

" You are surely right," volunteered Miss Smith. " Only 
last night Luella Hubbard offended my sense of propriety 



COURTESY AS CAPITAL. 107 

by returning a borrowed book without so much as a ' Thank 
you,' when I knew that she had really derived a great deal 
of pleasure from it, for I had heard her speaking of it in a 
very animated way, to a group of girls and boys, about ten 
minutes before, when I first came into the room." 

"Precisely so," said Miss Preston ; "and while we hardly 
want to use the argumentum ad hominem, we can make such 
•a circumstance as that the text for a general lesson to the 
school, and with good effect." 

"Yes," observed Mr. Whipple, "it is without difficulty 
that I recall my own spasmodic efforts to do the agreeable to 
-a little blonde of sixteen, while I was yet in the transition 
period and frock coats," and he laughed at the recollection. 

That laugh did us all good, and it gave us a sort of 
fraternal feeling that was eminently good for the topic under 
•consideration. 

" And if those efforts had been well directed, instead of 
'spasmodic,' I dare say you would have been successful," 
laughed Miss Sigourney, a little mischievously. " Now I 
think Julian Bristol has made a good start in the world." 

" And so he has," said Mr. Whipple, with energy. " When 
he goes out to hunt up a place to work, if he knows what to 
■do with his hands, when to take off his hat, how to speak 
when necessary and when not to, and dozens of other things 
that have a commercial value, he has a much better chance 
to get the place he wants than if he has the uncultivated 
manners of the average boy." 

" I had n't thought of these things before. It is strange," 
•said Mr. Johnson, seriously; "but I believe that we ought 
riot to neglect this part of any child's education." 

"Nor ought we," said Miss Preston. "Manners and 



io 8 PRESTON PAPERS. 

morals are really as essential as geography and grammar. 
But we can not teach, in these things, farther than we go by 
example. We can not consistently exact politeness if we 
do not use it. If we teach our girls and boys to salute us 
with c Good Morning ' when they come in, and ' Good after- 
noon ' when they go out, it must be as much by example as 
by precept." 

These are but a few of the suggestions thrown out ; but I 
have always noted in Miss Preston's association with her 
pupils that she observes even the least of these " small, 
sweet courtesies," prefacing every request, however insig- 
nificant, with " Please," receiving every favor with " Thank 
you," "I'm obliged to you," or something equally courteous 
— never saying "Thanks," as is a prevalent custom, denom- 
inating it as " decidedly curt " and " next to nothing." And 
they are influenced by her manners ; we can all see that, and 
many have spoken of it to 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



A CONTRAST. 109 



No. XXL 

DRESS. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Sept. 13, 188- 

Mr. ■ , State Supt. 

My Dear Sir: — The subject of "Dress" seemed to 
follow so naturally that of " Manners," that we entered 
upon its consideration informally and without a previous 
announcement. 

Miss Sigourney presided; and when I tell you that she 
is as remarkable for her lack of concern in her personal 
appearance as she is for her good nature — which is almost 
traditional — you will say: 

" The two too often accompany each other." 

To-day she had on a dress which was considerably soiled, 
a none-too-clean collar, and her hair was in a state ! This, 
too, when she was to preside at a teachers' meeting ! ! I 
was sorry for her as soon as I saw the " tone " the meeting 
was likely to assume, for I felt sure she would have her 
sensitive nature wounded; but, would you believe it? she 
remained — or seemed — perfectly oblivious of her toilet 
and its imperfections. Miss Whitney sat near, and a more 
perfect contrast can not be imagined. Older, by some years, 
than Miss Sigourney, every last little speck of dust brushed 
from her garments, with spotless linen, a dress that fitted as 
though she were "run" into it, hair so smooth and glossy 



no PRESTON PAPERS. 

that you could almost see yourself in it, you would have 
felt almost instinctively that she would almost parse her 
sentences before giving them utterance, and that she would 
never move in unseemly haste. She is a fairly good teacher, 
cold, but moderately successful notwithstanding. But I 
must stop descriptions if I recapitulate with any degree of 
fullness. 

Mr. Brown began by some light remark about the aesthetic 
tendencies of the education of the day. 

*" Now I think that is to be encouraged," observed Mr. 
Johnson. " I have only been thinking of it at all of late ; 
Ibut I believe, with Miss Preston, that the impressions of 
>early childhood are more potent for good or evil than we 
^are generally aware; and that their influence is almost incal- 
culable. By our own appearance, even, we may foster a 
taste that will become vitiated; or we may sow seeds that 
will develop into a really artistic sense." 

" I believe you," echoed Miss Sigourney, oblivious that she 
was condemning herself by assenting to the popular idea. 

" Why, Mr. Johnson, do you really suppose that the dress 
we wear, or the condition of our hair, teeth, or nails, have 
any bearing, direct or indirect, upon our pupils ? " and Miss 
Wells looked incredulous as she asked it. 

"Allow me to answer, please, Mr. Johnson," interrupted 
Professor Lowell, his face aglow. "Among my earliest recol- 
lections are those of an old man whose memory I revere, but 
of whose personal appearance I can not, even now, think 
without a feeling of disgust. Good, he undoubtedly was; 
that he was actually repulsive in his toilet is no less true ; 
hair unkempt, teeth that were equally guilty of a brush and 
of any dental skill, nails that were in a constant condition 



A PINK DRESS. Hi 

of crape, boots which never seemed to come into any close 
relations with brush or polish, and other garments on which 
the dust of ages would seem to have settled as if they'd 
found a sure abiding place." 

We did laugh at the pen picture, a little, but Professor 
Lowell went on : 

" He had many fine instincts, many delicate, refined ideas, 
incongruous as they seem. But I did not discover this so 
early in my acquaintance as I should if the evidence had 
not been so strongly against him." 

" Precisely so," said Mr. Johnson; "and this just corrobo- 
rates what I said at first. But I would like to hear some of 
the lady teachers speak on this subject." 

" I remember one thing, in the early days of my teaching," 
said Miss Preston, " that made quite an impression on me. 
One of my little girls came up to me, one afternoon, and 
said as she laid her hand caressingly upon my arm, ' Miss 
Preston, if we'll be real good this week will you wear that 
lovely pink dress Friday afternoon that you had on at home 
the other day ? ' Without giving the matter a second 
thought I said 'Why yes; of course I will,' and dismissed 
the subject from my mind. Friday morning came, and with 
it came a reminder from Lily: ' Don't forget your promise, 
Miss Preston.' And I didn't, but wore the dress that had 
been designed specially for home wear, simply to please the 
child who asked me to." 

" Did it have any visible effect ? " interrupted Miss Wells, 
interested. 

" I was just coming to that, as it's the best part of the 
experience," Miss Preston answered. "As I came up the 
walk I heard a group of small children discussing their 



j j 2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

teachers, and being behind them, I soon heard my name; 
and they were using it as a sort of symbol for beauty, purity, 
truth, goodness and all the cardinal virtues combined. I 
lagged behind, and pondered. All the afternoon I observed 
that things moved most easily. A word was more than 
sufficient, a look amply so; and it was due to the influence 
of the pink dress." 

" Are you sure it was that ? " queried Mr. Bishop. 

"I am. Circumstances developed this afterwards, in a 
way that would have dissolved any lingering doubts if they 
had existed in my mind." 

" I can readily believe that," said Mr. Johnson. " I have 
recently made observations which convince me that the 
more tastefully a person dresses, the more attractive one is, 
the greater his influence everywhere, and correspondingly 
greater his commercial value." 

" What would you suggest for good, every day material, 
Miss Preston ? " queried Miss Miller. 

" Of all things I would say avoid goods with soft, wooly 
surfaces. They catch dust, chalk, and fuzz, in the school- 
room; and thistles, burrs, and 'corners' outside. Serges, 
alpacas, and similar goods for winter ; cambrics, percales, 
etc., for summer." 

" And what colors ? " asked Miss Wood. 

'* Greys, browns, olives, dark greens, blues, maroons; any- 
thing, in fact, but black. A dull or neutral tint, for the main 
dress is always ' good form ; ' and this may be garnished by 
a bright ribbon, a bunch of flowers, or set trimming. Then 
I would have one or more bright dresses for special occa- 
sions, as we have condiments with our staple food." 

" Mr. Johnson can you suggest a toilet for the male per- 
suasion ? " queried Mr. Wheeler. 



THE LITTLE FOXES. 113 

" Oh, I think they can all draw inferences from this talk, 
without going into details. But," and he spoke earnestly, 
"we must all remember that the little foxes spoil the vines." 
We separated soon after this, but each went home think- 
ing of the silent influence of the seemingly unimportant 
factor in our make-up, Dress. Why the very idea that good 
taste in dressing has a moral aspect and a commercial value 
was new to many of us; and yet it is reasonable. That it is 
potent in giving first impressions concerning us is none the 
less true, and it is the first impressions that tell. Where is 
the end of its power ? 
I remain, 

Very Cordially Yours, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



u 4 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XXII. 

PENMANSHIP. 

Oldtown, N. Y., October 29, 188-. 
Mr. , Supt., etc. 

Dear Sir : — The question of Penmanship, in its various 
phases, has been agitating us for some weeks. Allan Eddy's 
mother broached the subject at one of the sewing societies 
with which our little city is blessed ; and behold ! every 
mother present was full of pent up feeling on the subject. 

"Al can hardly write his name legibly," said the little 
woman, snapping her teeth together as she bit off her 
thread. Had her eyes not twinkled a little bit you might 
have thought her more out of patience than she really was. 

"Neither can Will," chimed in Mrs. Cramer; "and it 
seems to me as though a boy of twelve years ought to be 
able to do himself and his teacher credit by his writing." 

" My stars ! Wayne writes as if ink were the cheapest 
commodity in the world and he had an unlimited supply of 
it, and was under bond to use it all within a given time and 
on a given space," laughed Mrs. Gallup. 

"/ don't think it is any laughing matter," said Mrs. 
Hoard. " Harry actually writes more indistinctly now than 
he did when he entered the Junior Grade." 

And so they chatted, witn no word of excuse or pallia- 
tion, nothing but fault finding and criticism of the system 



RAPIDITY. II5 

that develops such poor writers from what, in some instances 
at least, gave promise of being such good material. 

At last, Mrs. Ripley spoke : " Frank is doing very nicely. 
I believe that I have never seen any better penmanship than 
his gives promise of being. There is nothing showy about 
it ; but it is neat, legible, and rapid." 

"Rapid. Yes, I can easily believe that it is rapid," said 
Mrs. Breese. "Agatha complains to me nearly every day 
that she ' misses ' in half of her lessons because they are dic- 
tated and she cannot 'keep up.' " 

"Fred does not seem to have any trouble on that score,' 1 
said Mrs. Tyler, quietly. "I heard him telling Ella Wil- 
coxen the other day that at their recent examination in 
spelling and penmanship Miss Preston gave them a hundred 
words, timed them, and from the moment of her pronounc- 
ing the first word until the last paper was signed, folded and 
labeled, it was just thirty-seven minutes." 

"Oh, well, he and Frank Ripley are both in the other 
ward and are under Miss Preston's tuition," said Mrs. Eddy ; 
" and she seems to get at the ' how ' to do everything in her 
line, with the very best results. I only wish my three boys 
could be in her school." 

And so the question came to be agitated, until finally its 
magnitude made it seem a " thing of evil " and it came up 
for conference and debate at our next session. Without 
parley or preliminary, and as though no one else's method or 
opinion were worth discussing at all, " Miss Preston," said 
Mr. Johnson, with a dash of his old, imperative tone, " come • 
tell us how you manage to get so good results, in so short a 
time, and with so little trouble." 

"Why, it is so easy," and she smiled; "it is simply to 



Il6 PRESTON PAPERS. 

begin right, and to begin early enough, before the muscles 
become hardened or bad habits are formed. Patience, then, 
and care, coupled with constant vigilance, make good pen- 
men of even very young girls and boys." 

"That is good for all except definiteness," said Mr. 
Brown ; " but will you not add to its value, by telling us 
just how and when you begin, and how you proceed ? " 

" With great pleasure. The day a child is old enough to 
be presented for admission into my school room he is none 
too young to use the implements of war ; and he begins his 
career by holding his pencil properly while he plays with his 
slate, if he is not more than five or six years old. He is 
awkward at first, unless he has had home or kindergarten 
training ; but he can be taught When he can ' make 
marks ' with his pencil in position I let him now and then 
hold a pen and ' write ' if he is ambitious to do as he sees 
the older pupils doing. A little drill each day, of the 
chubby hands; a guiding toward a definite object; some- 
times a slate pencil against the hard surface of the slate, 
sometimes a crayon at the blackboard, then a lead pencil, 
with now and then a pen and ink, and he becomes and 
keeps interested in the variety of tools that he has been 
handling." 

" But, Miss Preston, do you mean to say that you let mere 
babies use a pen and ink in your school ? We have never 
given it to them until the second year of the Senior Grade ; " 
and Mr. Johnson looked a little aghast at the possibility of a 
fatal experiment. 

" No, not ' mere babies,' " she responded cheerfully. " The 
youngest ' nursery stock ' has never been turned over to my 
tender mercies ; but as soon as the children are brought 



GOOD RESULTS. 117 

within my jurisdiction they are given pen and ink, under my 
(or some one else's) guardian care, at not-too-frequent 
intervals, and they learn to use them without stabbing them- 
selves with the one or deluging themselves or their neighbors 
with the other." 

" Is it possible ? " 

" Yes ; and by the time they are seven or eight years old 
they write quite legibly ; and I have had those who did 
credit to themselves, even as young as that." 

" Miss Preston, I wish you would begin at the initial step 
and tell us just how you accomplish the desired result," said 
Mr. Johnson, with interest. 

"It varies with the patient and the circumstances," she 
replied, smiling. " For instance : what I would do with a 
class in the primary room, knowing that that year or two 
would be all that I would see of them, and that the subject 
would be ignored for the next two or three years by my suc- 
cessors ( as it nearly always is until the children are in the 
Junior Grade ) would be entirely different from what I 
would do with a more mature class, or with a class which I 
expected to stay with for two, three, or more, years." 

" I can readily see that — but as we have all these con- 
ditions represented here, suppose you give us a brief outline 
of your work under each of these varying circumstances," 
and he looked appealingly at the one teacher on whom he 
seems to rely for advice and real help. Oh, it is worth 
something to know that one's work can be relied upon — 
that it will stand the tests of time and result ; and this must 
be an inspiration to Miss Preston, as I hope it may come to 
be to Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



n g PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XXIII 

PENMANSHIP. ( Continued. ) 

" Well, I will begin with a supposed class of children in 
the Primary Grade, who have already learned to hold their 
pencils, but who know little of form. One thing right here 
— to all classes I would hold up as good a copy as I could 
make while they watch." 

"Why then, in preference to doing it in their absence? " 
queried Miss Butler. 

" Because it helps them see how — where to begin any 
given stroke, how carried, and in what way it is finished. 
My teaching of the subject will doubtless seem childlike to 
most of you — but I can not teach children in any other 
way. I begin somewhat after this fashion — having drawn 
some lines of various sizes and shapes, and at various angles, 
on the board : 

Children, what have I done ? 

Been making marks — some one will be likely to venture. 

Yes; and we call them lines. Are they all alike ? 

No, ma'am. Some of 'em tip (slant) and some of 'em 
stand up straight, and some bend around. 

Yes, and each kind has a name; those that stand up are 
•called straight lines, and those that bend are called curves 
•or curved lines ; and I make more, asking them to name 
them as I do so. Then from these two kinds I develop the 



CLA SSI PICA TIQN. 1 1 9 

first letter of simple form, the letter i of the small alphabet, 
at the same time explaining the right curve and the left 
curve of penmanship. Having assured myself that they can 
name its parts whenever seen and wherever found, I let 
them write while I 'call off.' That is usually enough for 
one lesson for so young a class, and at the next lesson I 
review this and take up a new one, «, and combine the two 
in a word. I always find great delight at the idea of writing 
words, so I begin early, and give a new one as often as 
possible, so that they will not tire of the work. I group the 
letters, according to their formation, and do not attempt a 
new principle or combination without special preparation of 
the lesson myself, made with particular reference to the 
class that is to receive it. I teach from analysis, compare 
one letter with another, different parts of the same letter 
with each other — and teach the children to use their eyes, 
and brains, as well as their fingers, in writing." 

" How do you divide the small letters ? Into how many 
and what classes ? " inquired Mr. Wheeler. 

" Into four classes : the short letters, the stem letters, the 
loop and the inverted loop letters," she replied. 

" Do you use copy books at all? " inquired Mr. Johnson. 

" Never. The copy should be made by the living teacher, 
for the reasons before given ; and it should be produced 
upon the child's mind so accurately that if a wrong pro- 
portion is used, or an imperfect line — a right curve for a 
left, or a sharp turn for a round one, they will be able to 
remedy it." 

" Nor tracing books ? " 

" Never. Nothing but ordinary foolscap paper, cut in 
halves for convenience, across. I put a general copy on the 



I20 PRESTON PAPERS. 

blackboard, analyze it, get the children to work, and then 
go among them and examine their work — rinding the most 
common troubles, and calling attention to what I have seen 
without mentioning any names, try again. Then if I find 
any one perpetuating the same mistakes I make a personal 
comment on the work, in an undertone — so as not to injure 
the child's desire to do well — point out the defects or have 
him do so if possible — sometimes placing an imperfect 
word or letter on the board on purpose to get an expression 
from the children as to its accuracy or defect." 

" How about the more advanced classes ? " 

" With those who already write, even though quite poorly, 
my first work is to get before them a mental picture of what 
is right; teach them by analysis, and let each one aim toward 
his mental model, guiding and suggesting where necessary." 

" Do you write a great deal, in your ordinary lessons ? 
Reading, history, spelling, or language, for instance. 

" O, yes ; a great deal. But I never allow scribbling. 
Learn to write well first, rapidly afterwards. I say to the 
children that all can learn to write beautifully; that the only 
difference is the difference in the amount and quality of 
practice they put upon it." 

" Is it so, indeed ? " said Mr. Johnson. " I had supposed 
that some could not learn to write well, as some can not 
learn to read well." 

" I have never seen any one who could not learn to do 
both," replied Miss Preston. " But in the matter of writing 
I think perhaps I do give it more attention than some, for I 
have found its advantages to be so great; and I encourage 
the pupils to take great pains in the formation of each letter, 
even when writing from dictation. 'Keep your thoughts 
ahead of your pen ' — is a help to most of them." 



THOUGHT AHEAD OF THE PEN. 12 \ 

" You are at least logical and successful in your methods, 
Miss Preston," said Mr. Johnson, " and I am gratified at the 
results of your work, and grateful for your illustration of 
your methods." 

This was the voice of us all — and while much more was 
said privately to little groups and knots of interested teachers 
who gathered about her when "meeting broke up," enough 
has been said to give you an outline of her ways of teaching 
penmanship. 

Hoping it may be helpful, I remain, 

Yours, in the general cause, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



122 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XXIV. 

OVERWORK IN SCHOOL. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Dec. 23, 188-. 
Mr. , Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Dea7' Sir : — Coming together a little early at our last 
meeting, a few of us found Mr. Johnson and Miss Preston 
eagerly discussing something of evident importance, for 
each was oblivious of all else. 

Rising soon after our entrance, Mr. Johnson said : 

"Well, Miss Preston, we will have the matter brought 
before the ' common council ' to-day. I am only sorry you 
have not mentioned it before." 

" It has troubled me somewhat ever since I have been 
here," she said, with a shadow of hesitation in her voice; 
" but as a teacher I was not in the best position to remedy 
it — besides being a little uncertain that it might not be 
largely a matter of fancy at first ; but as your assistant I 
have had more and better opportunities to study cause and 
effect, and I am convinced that both teachers and pupils 
undergo too much strain during a large part of the year." 

The meeting was now called to order by our Superin- 
tendent, who presided that day, and after the usual "open- 
ing ceremonies," he said, with some feeling: 

.- 1 have had a matter laid before me to-day which gives 
me great surprise and real anxiety. I have never thought 



OVERWORK. I23 

much about it, but believe that it may be true that the 
number of hours spent in school and school work, daily, 
is too great for both teachers and students, and that the 
curriculum should be abbreviated, or the period for its pas- 
sage be prolonged. I would like to hear from each of you 
on the subject, and freely." 

We were a little astonished, to put it mildly, and for a few 
minutes no one spoke. Then Miss Smith broke the silence, 
by saying in her peculiar way: 

" I'm glad somebody has begun the agitation of the waters, 
for the subject has been a sore one to. me for some time. 
Last year Mollie Arnold had to be kept out of school a third 
of the year, because of her headaches; Nettie Hurlburt's 
eyes became so bad that she had to wear glasses; and Clin- 
ton Brundage had to leave school altogether. This year it 
is no better; head troubles, eyes, or something, one right 
after the other, until I have sometimes been led to wonder 
if a common school education is worth all it costs, any way." 

"I am sure it isn't in some cases," said Miss Preston, "for 
when a boy or girl comes out of school with impaired health, 
narrow chest, ' stoop ' shoulders, defective eyesight, or bad 
digestion, as the result of overwork, all the ' sheepskins ' in 
the universe will not compensate for the loss." 

"True," said Mr. Johnson, "and if the same daily grind 
has overtaxed the teachers who should be living examples 
of physical culture as well as mental training, the results are 
indeed deplorable, and can not be too heartily condemned." 

" What do you propose doing ? " queried Mr. Brown. 
Now he is not one on whom the duties of a teacher will 
ever rest with undue weight. He is very considerate of 
himself, and is likely to outlive his day and generation, at 



I24 PRESTON PAPERS. 

least. He may not be actually lazy, but he has the quality 
of inertia remarkably well developed. 

" We are just thinking of that part of the evil," Mr. John- 
son responded, seriously and thoughtfully. " If we could 
close school a little earlier each day, and all spend that time 
out of doors whenever possible, and in some active work 
any way, it might help." 

"We should have to drop some of the studies then," said 
Miss Wheeler, " for there's only time enough now to give each 
branch a cursory sort of teaching, and that sort of teaching 
doesn't last." 

"No," said Miss Preston, "and it is bad all around. The 
innocent victims of this overworked system get a smatter- 
ing of things beyond their comprehension, learn almost 
nothing thoroughly, and get into slovenly habits of thought 
and study that incapacitates them for the real work of life. 
We attempt too much, and we stuff, cram, and overwork 
children and teachers, until they come to look, act, and feel 
jaded nine tenths of the time ; and this condition is not 
compatible with the best mental effort." 

" I hardly know what we should leave off," said Professor 
Lowell, with hesitation. 

" Miss Preston has shown us how we may gain some time 
in the teaching of geography," said Mr. Johnson, " and I 
dare say she can suggest other places where we waste time 
that might be used to advantage," and he looked at her 
inquiringly. 

" I think, perhaps, we shall get at the root of the matter 
most easily by ascertaining what is the object, grasp, or 
scope of our curriculum," she suggested. " It embraces 
mathematics enough to turn out automatic book-keepers 



CURRICULUM. I25 

and clerks. It takes in several languages, double that num- 
ber of exact sciences, several ' arts ' and the ' three R's ' — 
besides other things ' too numerous to mention,' as the 
circus bills say. These are all good, and each may find all 
that he needs for a practical life ; but our mistake is in an 
indiscriminate pouring the contents of each of these ' vials 
of wrath ' down the throat of each, instead of adapting the 
dose to the sufferer." 

" What do you mean ? " asked Miss Howe. 

"Why, here's Thomas, with a mother to support, two 
younger sisters and one brother, all waiting until he can do 
the work of an accountant in Mr. Slocum's bank, where he 
has the promise of a permanent place if he becomes a good 
penman, quick at figures, and an idea of commercial corres- 
pondence. Having undertaken to educate him, and map 
out his course for him, we should do so with some reference 
to his future needs ; but no, he must go through the regula- 
tion drill on vocal music, Latin, and astronomy, the same as 
though he had plenty of time to do it all, and with no special 
reason for extra work in his line. 

Again; Mary has no liking, no taste, and no reason for 
studying cube root, surveyor's measure, or apothecaries' 
weight, for her. young soul is all on fire with the genius of 
Art. She loves drawing, and has i form ' largely developed 
in her phrenological make-up, but we keep her pegging away 
at bank discount, equation of payments, algebra and other 
things equally foreign to her aim. She has a right to choose 
from the curriculum, or to have chosen for her, what will 
point toward her object. Helen, who means to teach, and 
has a fondness for language and literature, ought not to be 
compelled to tie herself down to physics or metaphysics, if 
she must make her living by what she learns at school." 



I2 6 PRESTON PAPERS. 

" There is truth in what you say," observed Mr. Wheeler, 
"and I have often wondered, if we were called upon to 
define the object of our work, what we would say." 

"Several of the best years of life are given up by the 
student," pursued Miss Preston, "and he becomes fagged 
physically, and we surely ought to look for splendid mental 
attainments, in part compensation for what has been lost 
otherwise ; but in the majority of cases we shall look in 
vain, and at the end of the 'course,' instead of presenting to 
the world one who is symmetrically developed physically, 
mentally, and morally, armed and equipped for the battle 
before him, we too often give a semi-invalid with a mass of 
indefinite knowledge floating around somewhere at loose 
ends in his brain, unavailable because of its vagueness, and 
often worthless." 

" What can we do ? " This came somewhat despondently 
from Miss Miller. 

"Weed the curriculum. Shorten the school hours. Teach 
individuals instead of classes, wherever possible. Give some 
time to physical culture, social, and moral training. Find 
out, if possible, somewhere near the child's probable future, 
and lead him up to it." 

" That would necessitate more overwork among the 
teachers than the present way, would it not ? " inquired Mr. 
Brown. 

" I think not. By reason of the shortened hours of labor 
the teachers would be capable of accomplishing more in a 
given length of time and yet would have leisure to recuper- 
ate from their state of exhaustion. As it is now, by reason 
of reports, examination papers, class books, records, etc., 
the teacher ' drudges ' as much as the overworked pupil. I 



LATE HOURS. I2 y 

know," she went on, smiling, " that much of what is com- 
plained of as overwork in school is really overwork out of 
school. A boy or a girl is up late at night several times 
during the week, and after a time headaches begin and 
'overwork' is the cry, when it should be 'late hours.' But 
there is a show of reason, at least, in the complaints that are 
taking shape and being presented almost daily." 

" Before we come together again we will see if our idea can 
not be made useful in revising our plans," said Mr. Johnson 
— and we parted with some new ideas rolling over and over 
in our heads. 

More anon, from 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



128 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XXV. 

SPELLING. 

Oldtown, N. Y., Jan. 22, 188- 
My Dear Superintendent : 

Our last familiar talk was on the time worn and time 
honored topic of "Spelling," and it was really interesting. 

"I have been having an old fashioned spelling school," 
said Miss Butler, with a laugh, as she seated herself. 

" How did you manage it ? " queried Miss Preston, with 
interest. 

" Quite in the old fashioned way. I selected two ' cap- 
tains ' who 'chose sides ' and spelled against each other." 

"You pronounced the words?" inquiringly. 

" O, yes. And no one could try but once, on any word. 
If he misses it goes across to the other side, the 'fallen 
soldier ' sitting down as soon as he misses, his ' opposite ' 
catching it if possible — if not, he too goes down." 

" It gets to be quite exciting, does it not ? " asked Miss 
Preston. 

"Yes, indeed it does." 

" Have you ever spelled against your whole school ? " she 
inquired again. 

" No. I never thought of that. Have you ? " 

"Yes, many times. I let some one who can pronounce 
distinctly, and who does not need the practice in spelling as 



A PLAY-SPELL. I2g 

much as the others, pronounce the words and I spell every 
alternate word." 

" But, Miss Preston, I thought you did not believe in oral 
spelling," said Mr. Whipple. 

" Nor do I, as a rule. As we usually use spelling only 
when writing, I have the lessons written in the every day 
practice. But I have found it a good thing to review quite 
frequently, and this I often make a sort of play-spell ( no 
pun) as Miss Butler seems to have been doing. It prevents 
the sometimes dread of review day, and spurs to thorough 
work; for in a 'play' of this sort every one's weakness in 
orthography is made manifest, while in the ordinary lesson 
routine only the child who misses and myself are cognizant 
of his faults." 

" How is that ? " queried Miss Sigourney. 

" The slates are passed to me for examination," responded 
Miss Preston. 

"Will you tell us how you conduct a spelling lesson?" 
asked Mr. Wheeler. 

" With pleasure. Having everything in readiness, I pro- 
nounce ' One ' (to correspond with the figure already on the 
slates) and then give a word to go with it. Should any one 
fail to understand the word, a hand is raised to indicate this, 
when I again pronounce it, and go to No. two. When the 
last word is written, each writer signs his name below his 
work, dates it, and the slates are gathered up in order from 
each aisle, by a * waiter ' chosen for the week, and placed on 
my desk for my inspection. I then announce the next lesson 
and my pupils study that while I look over the lesson just 
finished, underscoring the misspelled words on each slate, 
after which the slates are again distributed, the ' misses ' 



I3 o PRESTON PAPERS. 

corrected by those who have made them, and that lesson is 
considered done." 

" Do you mark a word ' missed ' if the penmanship is 
illegible ? " inquired Professor Lowell. 

" Always. And not only that, but I do so if it is merely 
ambiguous, a u for an n, an undotted i or an uncrossed t 
being an error that in a legal paper might be of importance; 
and I aim to teach accuracy in even the most trifling details, 
as I believe it to be one of the most important qualifications 
for any position in life." 

"Good," assented Mr. Johnson; "but, Miss Preston, I 
have heard that you teach spelling much as you do language 
— with and by means of every other lesson. Is this true ? " 

" To a certain extent, yes. If I assign a lesson in arith- 
metic, I want to teach observation at the same time I teach 
mathematics; and the habit is a good one to cultivate. I do 
this so regularly that it comes to be looked upon as part of 
the play, and no lesson is considered fully learned if there's 
any orthographical difficulty unmastered." 

" Do you use a text book, or ' speller,' at all? " asked Miss 
Smith. 

" Yes. I have found Swinton's ' Word Book,' or something 
similar, helpful for a set lesson; and then we sometimes 
make our own lesson, I suggesting a topic, and the children 
pronouncing the words connected with this topic which they 
do not know how to spell. These words I write on the 
blackboard and leave until the time for the next recitation, 
then use the copy which I have had made — instead of the 
book — and proceed as before." 

" Do you ever spell around, marking the words that are 
missed, and afterwards announcing them?" asked Miss 
Wheeler. 



VARIA TIONS. 



131 



" I never have. How do you manage ? " 

"Simply pronounce so many words to each pupil. He 
spells each one, only trying once, you keeping the record 
but not announcing the result until the close of the lesson." 

; 'I should think it would make a pleasant variety." 

" It does, and it has this recommendation; no one has any 
advantage over the other. For instance : in Miss Butler's 
* spelling school,' if a word comes up where it must be spelled 
in one of two ways, and the first speller misses it, the ' oppo- 
site ' knows how it must go and gains by what the other lost. " 

"I see," said Miss Preston. " There are many ways to 
relieve the study of monotony and save it from being merely 
a memory lesson. And that reminds me. As soon as a child 
can understand the simplest rules I have them learned, and 
then give them examples under each rule, so that the chil- 
dren can apply what they learn." 

" Spelling has always seemed like such an arbitrary thing 
that I've never made the most of it, I think," sighed Miss 
Wood. 

" It may be invested with a great deal of interest," said 
Mr. Johnson, '* and I think that by the time we have taught a 
few more years with an inspiration to do our best and make 
the most of our opportunities and material, we shall better 
know how to do even so simple a thing as to teach spelling 
to the best advantage and with a view to the final results." 

So say we all, and God speed the day when more of our 
number awake to a realization of what they, and others 
through them, are missing. 

With best wishes, I remain, 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



132 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XXVI. 

READING. 

Oldtown, N. Y., February 25, 188-. 



Mr. 

Since our talk on Reading I have been putting into prac- 
tice some of the ideas I got that day. I have lately been 
troubled that our public school is training such poor readers, 
and while lamenting the fact and wondering at its probable 
cause I have been too busy to solve the problem. 

Said Mr. Johnson at the opening : 

" I hope there will be a freedom in this discussion, for 
reading is one of the really essential things that seem to be 
in more or less danger of neglect." 

Which is somewhat true ; for with the advent of so many 
new ideas as to what should be taught, our time has been so 
filled that we have read less in our classes than we did 
twenty years ago, when every pupil read aloud four times a 
day. 

Miss Wheeler ventured the first remark : 

" If no one has formulated the especial features of com- 
plaint, perhaps we had better inquire first as to what 
appears to be the matter." 

" I can tell of one trouble, at least," said Professor Lowell. 
" The young ladies and gentlemen who come into my classes 
do not average to read as well as children should at twelve 



FAULTY READING. ^ 

years of age ; and I know that many of them leave the High 
School without the ability to read, at sight, an ordinary 
newspaper or magazine article. Several days since I was 
invited down to Mrs. Hanchett's to dinner, and Lizzie 
picked up the evening paper and read a few items in a. 
shockingly bad way, and with apparently no concern at her 
awkwardness with the Queen's English. Her mother and 
her college brother were painfully apparent of her short- 
comings, but she seemed to think that she acquitted herself 
creditably." 

" That is one bad thing about it," said Miss Ingersolh 
" The fault is so prevalent that no one feels isolated because 
of poor reading. Lizzie reads as well as Harry, Emma, 
James, and Ellen, in the same class ; and as she seldom 
hears any one else read how should she know that her work 
is below par ?" 

" That remark suggests a hint of one step toward better 
work," said Miss Preston " We can each furnish a good 
model in this, as in other things, and as children are quick 
to imitate and to see and discriminate, they will be benefited 
every time they hear really good reading." 

" True," said Mr. Johnson. " Cannot each of you name 
some special fault which you have observed in class or in- 
dividual, and then suggest a remedy for it ?" 

" I have noticed," said Miss Wheeler, " that many of my 
youngest pupils drawl their words. They even stumble over 
very simple words, such as I felt sure at first they must be 
familiar with. By experimenting, however, I found that this 
was not so; that the real difficulty lay just here : that as soon 
as a child was familiar with the shape of a word he would not 
drawl nor hesitate in its pronunciation ; so I began bringing 



i 3 4 PRESTON PAPERS. 

them into frequent contact with words. I found that they had 
tired of their readers, and while they were familiar with the 
4 pieces ' and could 'read ' any or each paragraph as a whole 
— having heard the thing daily, perhaps — the words were 
as strangers to them ; so I put them to work in a new way : 
reading backwards. By so doing they could not tell when 
they had pronounced one word, what would come next, 
until they learned the next word." 

" Has the result been satisfactory ?" asked Mr. Johnson. 

" Very. They are getting a somewhat extended vocabu- 
lary of words which they know; and when they know a word 
they can call it by name when they see it, and that without 
trouble." 

"I have used that plan myself," said Miss Preston, "and 
with even older boys and girls. Sight-reading is not com- 
mon enough even among our older pupils. But the trouble 
which I have observed in visiting the different schools is of 
an entirely different nature. I have noticed very rapid 
reading; even passages of great tenderness, pathos or sub- 
limity being in about 6-8 time. I have asked one or two 
such classes that have come under my observation to read 
in concert. This gives a chance for the very slow ones to 
accelerate their speed, while those who read too rapidly are 
held in check by the ' volume of voice.' " 

"I have found no trouble with my classes." said Mr. 
Wheeler, " when reading from their reading books ; but if I 
asked any of them to read tomorrow's history, geometry or 
botany lesson, I was always sure to find them in the quick- 
sand. So I have been using newspapers, magazines, etc., 
for extra supplies ; and have asked each to bring something 
of interest to read to all." 



DIFFICULTIES. ! 35 

" That word interest covers a multitude of help," laughed 
Miss Preston. " You will never have trouble in securing 
listeners, nor in teaching reading, if you can hold their 
interest. The newspaper work is a good idea." 

"I was in a school recently," said Mr. Johnson, "where 
the teacher was reading a story to her school, and every 
time she came to a word with which anyone was not famil- 
iar, a hand was raised to indicate the same, and they had 
a good time word-hunting." 

" I have done that myself," said Miss Wood. " Some- 
times, to vary the exercise, I have had one of the pupils 
read for me when we were having a recreation of this sort." 

" I have found one trouble," said I; " the children drop 
out little words and do not seem to realize it. They do not 
seem much concerned to get at the sense of what they read. 
So I have 'played school' sometimes, reading a paragraph 
as they do, asking them to watch for errors and call atten- 
tion to .hem." 

" I have had them do that with each other, to a somewhat 
limited extent," said Miss Smith, " and for the same pur- 
pose; I also sometimes let them read until they make a 
mistake, the first who notices the mistake taking the next 
turn. That serves to keep them alert, and it holds their 
interest at least while it lasts." 

" A good plan," said Mr. Johnson ; " and I think I know 
of one good reason at least for poor reading among the 
older pupils — want of practice. This comes sometimes 
because none of the household is interested in developing 
good readers sufficiently to listen to Thomas's rendition of 
the President's message, or to Mary's scrabbling through a 
report of the latest concert. Young America is taught to 



I3 6 PRESTON PAPERS. 

be seen and not heard, so Young America reads in silence 
when he should be reading aloud." 

" Too true," said Miss Preston ; " and what is true of 
pupils is true in only a lesser degree of us. We read aloud 
too little, and we do not often enough listen to good read- 
ing. We grow careless, and our own habits are reflected in 
our pupils ; and if we begin a reform we must begin at 
home and work outward." 

" Activity of mind, a thought of the author's meaning, a 
putting of the child en rapport, if possible, with the article to 
be read, by a few timely questions, a few judicious remarks, 
will go far toward helping expression," said Mr. Johnson. 
" We must teach them that we cannot express what we do not 
truly feel ; and we can not feel what we do not understand." 

" That is one thing about many of the reading books of 
to-day," said Miss Preston ; "most of them are down to the 
level of the child's capacity. A few years ago this was dif- 
ferent : and the child who ' went through ' a set of the old 
readers not only tired of trying to grasp what was away 
beyond his comprehension, but was made ridiculous by so 
doing. Now science is made attractive, poems of merit are 
found expressed in a language that even children can com- 
prehend, and history tells marvelous stories of thrilling 
interest, and yet in words that the juvenile mind can grasp." 

" My classes are interested just now in English history," 
said Mr. Brown ; " so we have had as many authors on our 
table as possible, and when a fact of interest has been ascer- 
tained we have read from the different books, impromptu ; 
and I can see, although it is less than a month since we began, 
that it has been a source of improvement." 

" It must have been," said Mr. Johnson. " I should like to 



A BAD START. I37 

hear more from some of the Primary teachers, for I have an 
idea that some of the bad habits start on the lowest round 
of the ladder and might be held in check there. But I see 
that it is time to close, and we shall have to wait for another 
session." 

We were not ready to stop. We seldom are since we 
began to brim over with our subjects, but I must follow his 
good example. 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant. 



138 PRESTON PAPERS. 



No. XXVII. 

HOBBIES. 

Oldtown, N. Y., March 15, 188- 
Hon. , State Supt. Public Instruction. 

My Dear Sir : We had a very lively discussion at our 
last meeting, concerning our various " Hobbies," and as I 
may not write again for some months, I will outline it in 
brief. 

"I think," said Mr. Johnson, seriously and penitently, 
" that I have been unfortunate in my own hobby ; for I have 
placed System so at the head of all things that great dam- 
age has been done to many of you who have tried to work 
after my ideal. I am glad that the change came when it 
did, and only regret that it did not come sooner. In pre- 
senting System as your goal, toward which I asked you to 
work, things that were of more importance were neglected 
if not ignored ; and time was wasted in trying to bring all 
to one standard." 

Miss Wood said tl Dignity seems to be the hobby which 
I've ridden with a high hand and a tight rein until recently; 
and yet somehow my dignity has n't preserved me from 
attacks of various kinds, both among my pupils and from 
their parents. I, somehow, set out with the idea that in 
order to keep a school well under subjection one must be 
very dignified in bearing, very impressive in manner. My 



THE REAL AND THE SHAM. 13g 

success as a disciplinarian has been far from satisfactory to 
myself, and I know that I have not pleased my patrons." 

" Possibly your key note is wrong," suggested Miss 
Preston. " Perhaps if, instead of keeping your school well 
under subjection, you had aimed to keep the pupils en rap- 
port with you, you would have had less trouble. I think 
that my hobby " Getting down to the Child," has led me 
into errors of a mental nature, at least. I may have made 
things too easy for the child, in my anxiety not to shoot too 
far beyond his powers. I think there is real danger in this, 
and that the mistaken kindness of the teacher or mother 
who does too much for a child will rebound, leaving the 
child more nearly helpless than he would have been with a 
more vigorous method or treatment." 

Miss Sigourriey was the next to confess, and remarked : 
" I believe that ' Discipline ' has been my hobby, and that 
I've been a hard rider. I can see, in my later work, that 
the discipine that needs very much muscular force is not 
good discipline, and most of mine has been accomplished 
by means of the rod. The word and the idea have been 
ever present, preventing many things that would have con- 
duced to the general good ; and yet because some things 
might interfere with discipline, or might interrupt the dis- 
cipline or break it up, I have said ' No,' when ' Yes ' would 
have been better, and when I might thereby have shortened 
the distance between my pupils and myself." 

"Just my idea," resumed Miss Wood. "I have come to 
believe, at least in my own case, that the dignity that needs 
bolstering is not real dignity, but a sham ; and it may be so 
in regard to discipline." 

"It is," said Mr. Johnson. "The discipline that needs 



i 4 o PRESTON PAPERS. 

to be talked about in order that it shall not remain in ob- 
scurity is not a power." 

" I am not sure," said Miss Wells, " but that I have been 
carried away by ' Appearances.' I have wanted my school 
to compare well with others ; and I've made it a sort of end 
toward which I've worked with a good deal of zeal, if not 
with wisdom. Too much has been sacrificed for mere show 
— but I've quit my hobby, 'forever and for aye.' 

"Good!" said Miss Preston. "Would that more of us 
had the courage of our convictions !" 

"Oh, we're getting it," said Mr. Lowell; "but it takes a 
while to eradicate the habits and thoughts of years, and 
break ground in entirely new soil. I believe that Laziness 
has been my great drawback. I have been too prone to do 
what would be the least trouble now, regardless of the 
future and of consequences. Laziness is an easy hobby, 
but is likely to throw one at the last," and he laughed a little 
uneasily. 

"Your experience is not unusual," said Mr. Johnson. 
" Few of us realize until too late that our every day work 
has such a relation to the future that we ought to put in our 
best building material at any cost." 

I knew that my turn was at hand, so said, " I have been 
riding ' Order ' for my hobby, and so gallant has been my 
steed that for many years I, like others, mistook the sham 
for the real. It is not so very many years since I actually 
believed that order, good order, consisted in having my 
pupils work in automatic precision, speak in set forms, vary- 
ing not a hair's breadth in recitation, even if done without 
spirit or understanding either. I know better now, and I 
look back with horror upon the machine work of my earlier 



CONVICTIONS. I4I 

days. I don't know how I got into the groove, nor can I 
see how I stayed in it so placidly for many years ; but this 
I do know — that my present teaching is a real pleasure, and 
before it was real drudgery." 

"It could hardly be otherwise," said Miss Preston; "and 
if it was drudgery to you, what must it have been to those 
committed to your care ?" 

41 O, I can see it all now," I cried; " the only thing that 
puzzles me at all is, that I was blind for so long." 

44 Selfishness seems to have been my hobby," said Miss 
Miller. " I have looked at everything from my own stand- 
point, and have considered, in all my school work, just how 
far such and such a thing would affect me — not what would 
be its results upon my school, but where I might count 
upon its influence. I think it has tended to make me indif- 
ferent toward the best interests of my school, and I regret 
the loss of years in which I might have done better." 

The silence of conviction settled upon us, for who could 
cast the first stone at Miss Miller ? Had we not all been 
carried by this hobby for years ? 

44 1 think that 4 Independence ' has been the hobby on 
which I've ambled at a slow going trot," said Miss Smith. 
44 I've cared too little for law and order, too much for re- 
sults ; and have ridden rough shod right over the wishes of 
parents, superintendents and others, pitting my own judg- 
ment against that of every one who differed from me, as to 
methods, manner, principles or what not. I mean to defer 
a little more to the experience, observation and judgment 
of others," and she sat down as vigorously as she had 
spoken. 

Miss Smith has less to blame herself for than most of us 



I4 2 PRESTON PAPERS. 

have, for although she's quite likely to believe that her way 
is right she has a great deal of common sense, and that has 
helped her to see through many of the false educational 
notions of the day, and it has kept her out of much of the 
mummery that has been the bane of the rest of us. 

Mr. Wheeler was the next speaker. "I believe that the 
'Practical' hobby has been mine. Now I think that the 
practical side of things should be given consideration, a 
great deal of it, but not to the exclusion of all else." 

"That is a common fault," said Mr. Johnson. "We have 
all been more or less warped by it I think, looking upon 
things of mere beauty as entirely without a mission, and 
upon studies which had no practical issue as being useless, 
when really either of these things may be of the greatest 
importance in modifying our natures and in making them 
symmetrical," — all of which is true, and is now so conceded 
by the authorities in the educational world. 

'• Well," said Miss Bates, "I think I have clung tenaci- 
ously to ' Custom ' for my hobby. I have been too averse 
to change, even when a change would have been best. 
What I have done and as I have done for years, has been 
my hobby; and I've been reluctant even to acknowledge 
progress." 

" Just contrary to my experience," said Miss Tngersoll. 
" I believe that when I look over my list of delinquences, 
I shall find that I've given whip and rein to ' Change,' wel- 
coming anything that gave indications of being something 
new, like the Athenians of old. Let any one suggest a new 
method in teaching or governing and I tried it, regardless 
of the probable differences of situation, time, and necessi- 
ties. Only give me something new to work with, and I've 



SUGGESTIONS. 143 

been happy in the work — even forgetful of the real aim of 
the work." 

u That is common too," said Miss Preston. " Only let 
one teacher in a given situation, and with a given class, 
'make a hit' in presenting a subject and instantly the won- 
derful results have been written up, commented on, and 
exaggerated, possibly, until everybody is on fire to try the 
same thing in the same way without reference to the great 
differences in teachers, pupils and times. We so lose our 
individuality and injure our work." 

" Lecturing seems to have been the mule that has carried 
me," said Mr. Whipple; "and I have been so in love with 
the sound of my own voice, apparently, that no opportunity 
to listen to its music has been lost. I think a few words 
1 fitly spoken ' would have been of more weight than all my 
harangues." 

Again we were silenced, for few of us but felt that Mr. 
Whipple's confession would do for each of us. 

" I fear that my hobby has been worse than any yet men- 
tioned," said Miss Sherwood, with a scarlet spot burning 
upon each cheek. " I think now, in retrospect, that ' Men- 
ace* has entered into my school work at every opening. My 
school has been under the shadow of a threat of some kind 
from September until June every year — but it never shall 
be again. A threat is at best a weak weapon, and I hope 
never to be guilty of its use." 

"Perhaps we had better all revise our decalogues," said 
Mr. Johnson; "and instead of ' Thou shalt not,' substitute 
' Let us try not.' There is a principle within us that can be 
reached by an appeal to our better selves; but its opposite 
comes to the top whenever a thing is absolutely forbidden, 



I44 PRESTON PAPERS. 

especially if there's a penalty attached. And right here I 
would suggest that we study Nature more. Let us study 
ourselves and our pupils, finding out the weaknesses and 
defects of the one, while we look up the necessities of the 
other. Let us profit not only by our own experience, but 
by that of our associates. Let us look below the surface of 
our teaching and see how much of it and what part is likely 
to take root; and if what we have done is not the very best 
that might have been, let us not be too proud to begin again 
in a new way, with^a higher ideal before us, a more definite 
plan as to reaching it." 

This seemed to be the Amen point; and here I leave it, 
only expressing the wish that it may be of as great use to 
others as it has to 

Yours Truly, 

Miss Preston's Assistant." 



